Hearts & Flowers
by cats-tale
Summary: Gene Hunt and Alex Drake - When she closed her eyes, all she could see was him falling, a look of pure astonishment on his face as he crumpled to the ground, crimson stains blooming across his shirt.This story now contains VERY ADULT CONTENT.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own these charcters, Kudos & the BBC does. Gene & Alex just decided to have a "story party" in my head and they won't go away until I've written in all down. **

**I've removed one word from right at the end of this chapter. Sorry if you've already read it, but I realised I'd let Gene say far too much at the end. I know this is cheating somewhat, but I hope you'll all forgive me. This is the first time I ever attempted to write a story like this and I didn't foresee that it would get this complicated. Many apologies**

When she closed her eyes, all she could see was him falling, a look of pure astonishment on his face as he crumpled to the ground, crimson stains blooming across his shirt.

When she opened them, all she could see was his blood, in dark patches across the knees of her jeans where she'd knelt on the road beside him, on her hands where she'd frantically pressed one of Luigi's ridiculous red & white checked tablecloths against the bullet wound in his abdomen, trying in vain to stem the bleeding.

A movement beside her jerked her out of her thoughts and back to the A&E waiting room, crowded now at this time of night with all manner of "walking wounded" from pub fights, muggings and domestics. She turned and saw Ray had arrived. He sat beside her, slumped forward, holding his head in his hands. He turned to look at her, and she saw the worry in his eyes

"What happened Alex? Who did this? Is he going to be OK?"

"I don't know" she replied "I don't know the answer to any of those questions yet. I'm sorry Ray. He's in theatre now. They have to repair the internal damage done by the bullet. They said something about bone fragments from his rib" He sank back into the hard plastic chair, shaking his head. Alex felt the tears rising in her throat as for the thousandth time that evening she replayed the shooting in her mind. Another, unconnected part of her brain realized that for the first time since she'd known him, Ray had used her first name, instead of his usual "ma'm" or "boss". Taking a deep breath, she took him through the events of that evening. She started with the journey to the bar that evening, reluctant to tell Ray what had happened earlier that day.

Alex hadn't even been going to go for a drink. She and Gene had had an almighty row the day before, which had culminated in her calling him, in a voice pitched to carry right out into the whole of the office, an "ungrateful, selfish, arrogant, misogynistic bastard who doesn't give a shit about anyone else. There are people in this station who work their arses off for you, and you are NEVER, EVER grateful! You wouldn't recognize gratitude if it stepped up and smacked you in the mouth, which is what I _REALLY_ want to do to YOU right now!"

She'd given him no chance to reply, flinging back the door to his office and storming off out of the station. Gene had just stood there, drawn up to his full height, glaring at her through narrowed eyes, his bottom lip thrust out in that petulant, arrogant and oh so sexy way of his that drove her insane, both with frustration and desire.

The next morning she'd sat down at her desk without so much as glance in his direction and immersed herself in the files dealing with a particularly nasty spate of muggings. She'd been aware of Gene starring at her through the glass partition of his office, but she'd resolved to ignore him, or at least to pretend to do so. She'd managed this until mid-morning, when he'd appeared beside her desk. When she didn't look up, he'd leaned down to her, resting on his clenched fists either side of the file she was scanning. Her heart had raced as she breathed in the scent of him. He'd put his mouth close to her ear and spoken in a throaty growl that made her spine tingle.

"Now I know that right now Bolly, you 'ate my guts, and I'll admit I've probably given you cause to, but I'd appreciate it if you'd just get off your bloody 'igh 'orse for 5 seconds and let me ask you out for a drink wi'me this evening. I owe you one". He paused and took a deep breath"….well, not just one, several, and….", he dropped his voice to almost a whisper,"….. an apology too"

Her head had snapped up in shock at his words and she'd met his gaze full-on, his eyes burning into her, molten silver flecked with aquamarine. She'd shivered, despite the warmth of the red jumper dress she had chosen to wear, in the full knowledge that belted in with a wide black leather belt, it showed off every inch of figure, and had stared straight back at him, her face betraying none of what she felt.

He was the first to drop his eyes, pushing himself away from her desk with a disappointed sigh as she'd continued to stare at him.

"OK". It came out as a whisper at first and she'd had to swallow hard to stop her mouth feeling so dry.

"Pardon?" he frowned at her, not hearing her properly.

"I said OK. I'll come for a drink……. With you……. Tonight". This time the words had come out louder than Alex intended, and she'd seen Ray look up at them.

"Right…., good…., OK then" Gene turned briskly away from her, marching into his office and returning with his coat "I'm off out, you're in charge 'til I get back. Don't let these morons mess you about and don't let them use my darts board. Grainger! Wi' me!……Now!".

With that, he was gone, lopping off up the corridor, Shaz hurrying in his wake, leaving both Alex and Ray staring after him.

Shaz had been back within the hour, slipping quietly back to her desk. She'd looked over at Alex with a strange expression on her face, but at that moment Alex's phone had rung and she'd thought nothing more of it.

Gene returned in the late afternoon, striding into his office, barking "Shaz!.. Tea!". He'd banged the door firmly shut, swung his boots up onto his desk & ignored them all. It had remained that way for just over an hour until the clock, and everyone's digital watches told them all it was six pm exactly.

"Lunch time Gentlemen!" he'd bellowed. The team had all looked up, not sure whether to move as the Guv was still seated at his desk.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You've all been clock watching for the last hour. Bugger off, you skivers, and I'll 'ave a pint with a whisky chaser". They'd hurried out, not risking him changing his mind and asking them exactly what they had been doing all afternoon.

Alex had gone to ladies locker room to do her hair and freshen herself up. She found it ironic that in 2008 she wouldn't think twice about how she looked. She'd got where she was in the force on the strength of her intellect. She didn't need or want to dress herself up for work. Plain navy suits and white shirts were all she needed to feel professional and good about herself. In 1981 however, things were different. For a start she hadn't had her own clothes at first, and by the time she'd accepted that she wasn't going home, she'd got used to the way she dressed. It gave her confidence; it was a mask to hide behind. Plus it made her look bloody good and she knew Gene thought so too.

"You're being ridiculous" she'd told her reflection "you go drinking with him nearly every night". Why was she so bothered about it this time? Was it because he'd used the phrase "with me" when he'd asked her earlier? He usually just included her with the rest of the team when suggesting a drink. "For God's sake Alex" she'd sighed leaning her forehead on the cool mirror, "you have to stop feeling like this". Taking a deep breath she'd checked her make-up, run her hands through her hair, and clutching her make-up bag so hard her knuckles were white, she'd walked back into the office to fetch her jacket.

Gene was standing just inside the door, a looming shadow in the dark office.

"Oh! I thought you'd gone" she stammered.

"Wot? And leave you behind Bolly? My Mam would've 'ad my guts for garters if she'd known I'd let a woman like you walk into a bar on her own. You're posh, you are. You deserve manners" He'd given her one of his rare smiles and held open the door "Shall we?" he'd asked.

They'd walked to Luigi's, and Alex had shivered in the chill spring air. In her surprise at finding Gene waiting for her, she'd forgotten her jacket. Gene had stopped and shrugged off his, wrapping it carefully round her shoulders. Standing in front of her, he'd pulled the lapels closed, in an uncharacteristically tender gesture. His fingers had fleetingly brushed her neck and she'd looked up at him, unable to put the feelings his touch had aroused into words. He'd looked down at her steadily.

"Better?" he'd asked.

Alex had nodded, unable to speak and they'd continued walking. When she went back over events again later in her mind, she could have sworn that he'd reached for her hand at that moment, that she'd felt his fingers start to thread themselves through hers, but she couldn't be certain.

All she did remember clearly was that at that moment that they'd heard the car engine. Alex had noted the expensive, purring sound it had made. She'd looked round and seen a Mercedes, cruising slowly out of a side street towards them. She'd been surprised, Mercs were expensive cars and not common in this area of the City in 1981. Just before the car had drawn level with them, a figure had lent from the passenger window and she'd heard gunshots, 3 of them in quick succession, then the screech of the tyres as the car had roared away from them, and suddenly, Gene was falling, collapsing like a puppet with strings cut, in front of her, his head hitting the road with a sickening sound.

She'd screamed, she must have, either that or the sound of the shots brought Chris running up the steps from Luigi's to stand bewildered on the pavement, not able to believe what he saw, his DCI sprawled bleeding in the road and Alex beside him, frantically searching for a pulse.

"Call an ambulance! He's been shot! An ambulance!... NOW CHRIS!"

She'd shrieked the words at him, and he'd disappeared back into Luigi's. Alex had knelt beside Gene, trying to see through all the blood just exactly where he'd been hit. A bullet had grazed his forehead, leaving a line of flesh gouged out of his temple. Another had hit his shoulder, just below the collarbone.

"OK, not life threatening" she'd told herself, pushing down her rising panic, only to feel it rise again as she looked further.

The third was serious. It had hit him just below the ribs on his left side, the blood flowed freely from the wound and she'd been thankful when Shaz had appeared beside them, clutching an armful of tablecloths.

"Here you are Ma'm" she'd said, thrusting them at her with shaking hands and stepping back to give Alex room.

She'd quickly folded one of them up and pressed it hard against the wound. Gene's eyes had snapped open and he'd groaned through his teeth with the pain.

"For Christ's sake woman", he'd hissed "I know I've pissed you off, but there's no need to try and kill me"

"Shut UP, Gene" she'd snapped back him, anger hiding her relief at his being conscious "I'm trying to help you, not kill you. Someone else must be even more pissed off with you than me"

"Wot is it wi' you Bolly? Even when I'm lying 'ere, possibly, no make that, probably dying, you bitch at me", he'd broken off with a gasp, coughing.

Alex had fought to keep her voice even and the panic from her face, as she'd looked up at him. She'd taken his hand and squeezed it hard. His eyes found hers and his gaze was unwavering

"You listen to me, Gene Hunt. You are not going to bloody die. I'm not going to let you. You mean too much….." she stopped herself, unable to go on.

"Too much wot, Bols?" he'd gasped, squeezing her fingers hard as the pain shot through him. Away in the distance, on the edge of her hearing, she could hear the sirens getting nearer and nearer.

She'd moved closer to him, her eyes never leaving his, "Gene, listen to me. The ambulance will be here soon, but you have to fight……….. I need you to think of something important to you, something precious, something worth living for……. Gene? Can you hear me?...Gene?". She'd felt for his pulse again as his eyes closed and he'd started to shake as his body went into shock.

She watched him fight for breath, "It's always bloody psycho-babble wi' you isn't it?" he'd whispered, teeth chattering, opening his eyes painfully slowly, his gaze blurred and un-focused now with the loss of blood.

Alex could feel it seeping through the cloth, the warmth of him ebbing away onto the gritty road surface beneath her knees. Her hands were sticky with it as she'd reached to stroke his cheek. She realized she was crying, as a tear splashed onto his lips. He'd parted them and licked at it with his tongue.

"Mmm…You taste good Alex…….. Want to know what I'm thinking about……….?" his voice was faint now, the words slurring together "I'm thinking about you Bolly…. Naked…………, an' all the things I'd like to do to you". He'd laughed softly and she'd seen him force himself to focus on her.

She'd put her face right down, close to his, holding his eyes with hers.

"You get through this, Gene Hunt, and I promise that you can do what you like to me, naked or clothed. Just keeping fighting…………., stay with me………… please, Gene". Her voiced had cracked at this and she'd lifted her arm to wipe away the tears that filled her eyes.

Than she'd heard a voice "Move back please, madam, move back. Let me see him". The ambulance man had put a hand on her arm to guide her away, but Gene held her hand tighter, frantic now to tell her something "heart…… have……. my heart Alex…………." he'd rasped, slurring his words so badly now she could hardly make them out "jacket ……….., my jacket …………, explain………………how I fe…….".

His voice had tailed off as he'd passed out with the effort of speaking. The ambulance men had taken over then, loading him quickly and efficiently into the ambulance and racing away to Whitechapel hospital, sirens blaring.


	2. Chapter 2

"…and then I came here to wait" she said to Ray "I drove the Guv's car. He'll go mental when he finds out….." she stopped as she realized what she was saying, that Gene might never find out, might never drive his car again.

Ray stretched out a tentative hand and patted her awkwardly on the arm "He's going to be ok. The Guv's been shot before, he'll be fine". He stopped, and she knew that even he wasn't convinced of what he was saying. They sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts, until what seemed like hours later, a nurse approached them.

"Are you waiting for news of DCI Hunt". She was in her early sixties, with a reassuring air of calm about her

"Yes" said Alex, forcing herself to stand up "I'm his DI, he's my Guv"

The nurse smiled and Alex felt her heart lift slightly.

"He's just come out of theatre. It was touch and go with him for a while. He's had to have a blood transfusion as he lost so much, but he's stable for now. The shoulder wound was fairly simple, the bullet was lodged so it didn't do as much damage as it could have had it gone through his shoulder blade. They've repaired all the internal organ damage to his side and they're as sure as they can be that they've got all the bone fragments out. The bullet shattered his lowest rib." She broke off, "Are you OK?" she asked, glancing over at Ray who looked very pale. "I'll get you some water and when you're feeling better, you can both go up and see him. I'll warn you that he's heavily sedated though."

She fetched a paper cup of icy cold water for Ray, who took it gratefully.

"I didn't think you were squeamish, Ray", Alex said, relief at Gene being ok leading her to tease him slightly.

"I'm not usually," he replied, "but when it's the Guv, it's different, you know, it's personal." He down at his feet self-consciously, and she felt unkind.

"Sorry. I know what you mean" she said

"I'm not coming with you to see him" he muttered "I don't want to see him like that, and I know he wouldn't want me to. It's different for you, you're a bird and he fa….." he stopped suddenly "I mean, he won't mind you seeing him" he looked up at her then, his face set stubbornly, ready for her to try and talk him round.

Alex knew better than to try and do so. It was a bloke thing, and she wasn't going to tread that path. "OK. I understand" she smiled at him "I think you should go home and get some sleep. You're the only one of us that's done any work today, and you'll be senior officer at work tomorrow as I'll be here".

He nodded, relieved that someone would be with Gene.

"Ready" asked the nurse

"Yes" nodded Alex. She turned and picked up Gene's jacket from the chair beside her "Bye Ray. I'll call you tomorrow to let you all know how he is"

Ray smiled "Thanks Alex" and he turned and walked away, the slump of shoulders betraying how tired he felt.

The nurse led her through the maze of stairs & corridors to a private room, just inside the door of a small ward. "He's in with the serious cases" she said "not that we're especially worried about him, but the next 48 hours are fairly crucial." She held open the door for her "In you go, only for five minutes I'm afraid, but you can see for yourself that he's all in one piece. Don't mind all the tubes, they're all there to help him"

Alex walked slowly across to the bed and stood, looking down at Gene. She'd hadn't known what to expect, but she'd thought that he'd seem smaller, vulnerable, as people in hospital often did. Instead he looked peaceful, his physical presence as powerful as ever. "Sleeping Lion" she whispered to herself as she moved closer and reached out a hand to stroke a lock of blond hair from his forehead. She stood and gazed at him, her fingers stroking his arm lightly, as if she was afraid she'd wake him. It seemed no time at all, until the nurse returned, "Time to go I'm afraid". Alex bent down and spoke to him, her mouth close to his ear. "Sleep well, Gene. I'll be back in the morning".

Back outside in the corridor, she caught the curious sideways glance of one of the other nurses, and realized she was still covered in Gene's blood. She pulled a face wryly and smiled at the nurse who'd brought her up from A&E.

"Look, why don't you go home and tidy yourself up. Get some sleep. My name's Iris. I'm the Sister in charge here. I'll still be on duty in the morning if you've any worries or questions"

Alex hesitated, glancing back the door to Gene's room, "He won't be awake for a good few hours yet, and when he does stir, the doctors will give him more morphine for the pain which will knock him straight out again", Iris patted Alex's arm reassuringly "Go home. He's in good hands". With a last glance through the glass at Gene's sleeping form, Alex complied.

The taxi took her right to the door of the house that she now rented, just off Islington High Street. The area was nothing like it was in 2008, in 1981 it parts of it were still very run down and dodgy. She let herself in and leaned her back against the closed front door, trying to slow her racing mind, breathing the calm, quiet atmosphere of the place she called home, for however long that was destined to be.

A few weeks after she'd tried and failed to save her parents, she'd come to a decision. She still had no way of knowing if this world she'd found herself in was real or all in her head, but either way, it was her "reality" for the moment and living over Luigi's and eating there every night was playing hell with her bank balance, let alone her liver. She looked at several flats but it had been the tall, narrow house near the Regent's Canal that had appealed to her the most. It was too big for a person living on their own, she didn't need the second bedroom and small shower room on the top floor, but she'd fallen in love with the basement kitchen, a smaller version of the one she'd known as a child in the house in Highgate. Light and friendly, one long room stretched from front to back, with the sink under the window at the front, room for a table and a couple of chairs in the middle, and most importantly, space for a sofa by the French windows that opened out on to the small walled garden.

She'd furnished it slowly, finding it strangely satisfying to prowl around the many second hand furniture shops in Islington and Camden, looking for bargains amongst the eclectic items of furniture they had for sale. For the first two weeks, all she'd had were the table and chairs left by the previous tenant and an old fashioned Victorian style double bed that was up in the spare room. Over the weeks that followed, she'd found an old sofa, upholstered in worn red velvet for her kitchen, and a huge, carved "French Style" white bedstead, the panels of the head and foot boards covered in pale grey silk. The house slowly became her refuge from the world, and more importantly her refuge from the presence of Gene Hunt and the feelings for him that raged within her.

Walking downstairs to the kitchen, Alex knew she was exhausted, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Dropping her keys on the hall table, she made her way upstairs to the bathroom. Stripping off her bloodstained clothes, she stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash over her aching body. Ten minuets later she was clean and dry, wrapped in her dressing gown waiting for the kettle to boil. As she absently made herself a mug of tea, she thought back over the last 10 months, 10 utterly incredible, exhausting, terrifying months, all them spent in the company of an incredible, exhausting and sometimes, terrifying man. Gene Hunt, her DCI, the man whom, it would seem had been her knight in shining amour on the day of her parents death. She had gone over and over this particular part of whatever was happening, but as hard as she tried, she never came up with an answer, and, tired of making herself mentally dizzy, she'd stopped tying her brain in knots, and begun to accept that she had to live in the moment.

To begin with, she'd thought of Molly constantly, the pain of not being to get back to her making her chest physically ache, but when she hadn't returned home, she'd shut down those feelings and now only occasionally remembered her daughter. She only ever allowed herself to think of her positively. Alex knew that she had left her with people who would keep her safe and happy. It was easy to "box –up" those thoughts, she'd had enough practice with the loss of her parents, and later, the break-down of her marriage.

These days her heart ached for an entirely different reason, but was no less painful – Gene Hunt. She'd fallen in love with Gene Hunt. Taking her tea over to the sofa, she curled up under the soft wool throw she kept folded on the back of it, and stared out into the soft, dawn lit garden, remembering.


	3. Chapter 3

**It gets a bit smutty in this chapter – Alex really does spend far too much time on her own, poor thing. (I've never written fanfic before, so it's al a bit scary for me really)**

Alex had always felt some sort of physical pull to him, right from the beginning, when she'd slipped her hand under the lapel of his jacket to feel his racing heartbeat. She'd flirted wildly and fought with him , as much to get her own way, as she did because it turned on. For all that his attitudes and methods of policing repelled her, the man himself was devastating attractive, both physically and mentally.

A true Alpha male, Alex had told herself at the beginning, fighting against all those feelings she knew she really shouldn't feel. You don't fancy him she'd told herself, it's just the alpha thing. That's what makes them alpha, the aura of power, of control that just draws women in. You are programmed to react to him in that way as a female of the species. "Come on Alex, you're an intelligent woman, fight it", and she had at first, putting him down and laughing at him. She knew that he wanted her that he felt the physical pull between them too, but she thought that if she put him down, he'd lose his power over her.

When that hadn't worked, she'd even gone so far as to offer herself to him when she'd had more than she should have to drink in Luigi's. She'd justified it to herself afterwards as a purely practical move, "get the physical attraction thing over and done with, and the spell would be broken" she'd reasoned. She's reckoned without Gene's hidden sense of chivalry though, and he'd turned her down, even though she'd seen the desire burning in his eyes. She closed her eyes in shame as she remembered the Red Braced Twat she'd ended up with. The sex had been average and she'd fantasized about Gene all the way through, throwing him out as son as she could.

She couldn't believe how angry Gene had been about that, the next morning, but despite arguing with him about it, privately she'd resolved to do as he said and had behaved herself. It wasn't the respect of the team she'd wanted most though, it was Gene's. She never wanted him to look at her that way again. It was fine her world for women to pick up men and sleep with them, everyone did it, everyone understood and accepted it. In 1981, Gene's reality, sexual liberation wasn't quite so far advanced. Sleeping with a strange bloke made you a tart, a slag, and you were judged accordingly. She'd done it once and it had been forgiven, if not forgotten, but any more and she would condemned forever.

Since then, she'd tried to be nicer, to work with him. It still didn't stop the arguments but their working relationship had improved. When they'd broken into Edgehampton, she'd felt almost elated, the two of them against the world. She smiled to herself as she remembered the feel of his arm around her in the vault, the heat of their bodies and the racing of his heart.

There had been a backward step in their feelings for each other with the Gil Hollis arrest and the Scarman fiasco, but the undercurrent was still there, so strong it was almost tangible. She'd admitted to herself more than once that had Gene's offer to go upstairs to her flat been made on any other night, she would have possibly taken him up on it.

After the explosion that changed had to a definitely, but he'd never made another offer, never even invited her out to dinner again. She was just one of the team. He still called her Bolly Knickers and wound her up about being posh, but he never got closer than that. The only indication he gave that she made any impact on him at all was that sometimes she caught him staring at her from his office, usually when he was doodling. What did her draw all the time, Alex wondered to herself. She never saw any of them; he always tore them off the pad and put them in his pocket.

It was almost fully light now and Alex decided that she should at least try and get some sleep before making her way back to Whitechapel. Walking slowly upstairs and climbing into her bed, she remembered again the moment that she'd realized that she was hopelessly in love with him. It was the end of January and Gene had been interviewing a woman, worried about her missing teenage daughter. He'd been so kind, so gentle with her, in his gruff way.

She'd been working with the superintendent that morning. He was keen to get her opinions and advice on how best to "modernize" both his station and the men who worked there, and she'd agreed readily. Not because she wanted look good as some people thought, but because every minute she spent with the Super was an opportunity to re-enforce to him how good Gene was at his job. "A little rough around the edges Sir, but still a bloody good copper" and it was getting through to him. The Hollis & Scarman episodes were fading from the Super's thoughts and Alex's little attempt at "spin" was working.

She'd come into the interview room to let Gene know that there was a body in the morgue that matched the details of the woman's daughter. She was surprised that he was bothering to interview Mrs Tucker as she knew he'd already seen the morgue report.

Gene had glanced up and silently indicated to her to sit down. The woman was crying now, "She's a good girl, my Louise, she wouldn't cause any trouble. I'm sorry to bother you…. I know you're a very busy man. It's just she's not been home for 3 days now and my old man's going spare, doesn't know what to do with himself", she'd broken off, sobbing, and Gene had spoken quietly to her.

"Don't you worry yourself, luv. You take your time.. That's wot we're 'ere for"

"Er.. Guv" Alex had attempted to get his attention.

"Not now, DI Drake" he hadn't even looked at her.

"Yes but Guv, there's a …"

"Drake", he'd growled out her name warningly, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"But the report Guv,…."

He'd turned to her, whilst pressing his boot down hard on hers under the table.

"I said, _NOT NOW_, DI Drake. I'm just getting Mrs Tucker to give me a better description of her daughter and then I'll be with you". He'd given her a quelling look, daring her to speak again. She'd sat seething, whilst he gently coaxed a description from the distraught woman. He'd then escorted her to the front desk and instructed Viv to call her a taxi. When it arrived, he'd walked her down steps and helped her in, watching as the taxi drove out of sight.

Striding back into the station, Gene made a beeline for Alex

"Right Drake, wot was so important you 'ad to interrupt that?" He stood close to her, head thrown back, eyes narrowed.

"There's a body in the morgue that fits the description of her daughter, Guv. If you'd let me speak, we could have got her to I.D it before she went home, then the paperwork would be processed faster. It's one of the Super's new directives, to be more efficient"

He'd had stood there for a while in silence, looking down at her, his expression unreadable.

"Tell me something DI Drake, in the interests of _efficiency_." He spat out the word as if it was distasteful to him.

"Where would it 'ave been better to 'ave told that poor woman that 'er only remaining child was dead?" Alex had winced at the coldness in his voice

"In a scabby interview room that stinks of fear and fags, or at home with her husband to look after 'er, and 'er old Mum round from next door to make a cup of tea? Which do _you_ think would 'ave been best? Made 'er feel just a little less devastated than she already is? She lost 'er son last year in a stabbing outside the Dockers Arms. That's why she came to me today. Put yourself in 'er place, Alex? Would you rather have efficiency or a little bit of kindness?

I knew from the minute I saw 'er at the front desk it was 'er daughter downstairs – she's the image of 'er. I just thought it would be easier, kinder to listen to 'er, then send a couple of plods down in a half hour or so to tell 'er at home, where she's wi' people who can take care of 'er"

"How do you know her Mother lives next door" she'd replied sulkily, at a loss for anything else to say, unnerved by the anger twisting his mouth into a hard line.

"I listened to 'er!" he roared "Sometimes, despite being a bloke, I can actually do that! I took notice of wot she said! I also know the poor cow's on the edge of a breakdown, one little push is all she needs to crack up and I didn't want that happening to 'er at the station!"

He'd lowered his voice to a menacing hiss "You know, sometimes Little Miss Bollinger Knickers, yo're so busy being a psychiatrist, that you forget 'ow to be a human being!"

He'd turned & walked away from her, eyes blazing with rage.

"It's _PSYCHOLOGIST!_" she'd shouted after at him, using anger to cover up her humiliation.

He'd turned, looking her with faint contempt "I know it is, Alex …and my point still stands"

Watching him walk back down the corridor, she'd suddenly felt as though she couldn't breath, tears pooled in her eyes and her chest had hurt so badly, she'd wrapped her arms across it. He was angry with her, and instead of the usual surge of adrenalin that coursed through her when they argued, she'd felt lost. She'd ached for him to turn round and look at her, to see the effect his words had had on her, but he was gone. She cast her mind back to Reeks and the suit for his court appearance. There was a lot more to Gene Hunt than most people realized, she thought, a softer side that he kept well hidden from view. "Ok Alex" she'd murmured, "You were wrong and you need to let him know that" She'd waited until he'd reached his office then she'd walked in after him, quietly.

He'd opened his mouth to speak but she'd got there first.

"I'm sorry. That was wrong me and you're right, I do forget to be nicer, softer, sometimes and I'm sorry for not realizing what you were doing." The words came out in a rush and she stood, staring at the floor, unable to look at him.

He'd said nothing and then had stood up and grabbed his coat

"Raymondo!" he'd shouted "Bolly 'as just rendered me almost speechless wi' shock. A feat which I'm sure you'll agree needs discussing over a few pints of beer"

Alex had tried to slip quietly away but Gene was too quick for her

"Oi! Where do you think you're going? You're buying the bloody beer!"

And that was that, Gene's way of dealing with. They'd both got spectacularly drunk and not talked about it again. And here she was 3 months later no closer to him, alone in her bed whilst Gene lay in hospital a few miles away.

She didn't think she'd be able to sleep but she found herself drifting off into a fitful doze, the dreams coming to her again. She'd had them for months and it always started in the same way, the falling sensation and then waking up in her old bed at Luigi's flat, to find Gene there with her. At first she'd woken up just as she'd realized who it was, but over time it had become more and more detailed. It always ended the same way now, with her lying naked against him, his cock buried deep within her. Sometimes he was tender, holding her closing and rocking her gently until she came, the warmth spreading out from her centre until her whole body was filled with molten heat, her limbs heavy, and her mouth against his. She would lie awake aching with loneliness afterwards, the physical aftershocks of the dream not enough to ease her despair.

Other times, he was wild and hard, looming over her, dominating her, thrusting into her forcefully, arching his body back from hers, and at the same time pulling her to him, slamming her hips to meet his. It was electric then, almost unbearable, the fire ripping through her with white hot heat. She'd wake trembling and sweat soaked, the bundle of nerves between her legs, pulsing wildly. Sometimes she'd slip her hands down her body and stoke herself slowly, slipping her fingers inside the hot wetness, making herself climax all over again, all the time imagining it was Gene beside her.

This time it was different, he was lying underneath her, his hands stroking her hips, reaching up to brush her aching breasts. She sat straddled over him, letting her wet clit just tease the top of his cock, before sliding herself slowly down onto him. He was watching her with an expression of intense yearning. Again and again she teased him, until he cried out and reached up, pulling her down to meet his mouth, thrusting up into her, burying his face in her neck as she felt herself explode.

Giving up on proper sleep, Alex looked at her watch, 8.15. She'd been dozing for an hour or so. "Right" she told herself "shower, get dressed now and you can be back at the hospital by half nine"

Pushing through the swing doors of the ward, she encountered a tall, dark haired man coming out of Gene's room.

Seeing her start to step inside, he stopped and introduced himself,

"I'm Mr Roberts, DCI Hunt's surgeon" he said, smiling at her, and Alex found herself assessing him – nice body, about her age, handsome if you liked the public-schoolboy thing – a few months ago she'd have considered responding to the obvious interest he was showing her, but now all she could think about was Gene. He chatted to her few a few minutes longer, explaining the extent of Gene's injuries, and expressing surprise that she was Gene's DI.

"Really?" he said "You don't look the type" Seeing her expression, he'd back tracked. "The type to be a plain clothes copper, I mean. I was under the impression that all senior female police officers had to be a bit scary-looking. You know, "woman in a man's world" and all that", he laughed nervously.

Alex leaned forward "Remind me to introduce you to DS Carling" she said dryly "You two would get along famously"

He gone then, aware that she was not entirely pleased with his observations, and she was left in peace to sit beside Gene's bed, content just to watch him sleep.

Towards evening he began to stir, his breathing becoming shallower as he opened his eyes.

His mouth curved into a slow smile as he realized she was by his bedside.

"Alex" he whispered "you're here"

"Of course" she replied, and his smile widened, before he appeared to slip back into sleep

Shortly afterwards his eyes snapped open again as he turned his head towards her

"Who's got my bloody car?" he demanded

"Ray. He's taking good care of it"

"Tell him to mind the paintwork, or he's a dead man. I'll be checking"


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all your great comments. No smut in this chapter I'm afraid. Just Gene being Gene**

The next two weeks followed the same pattern. Alex would wake early, visit Gene before going to Luigi's for breakfast and then on into the office. After work she would sit with him for an hour or so, until the Sister on duty showed her out. They were very flexible about her visiting hours, knowing that as a police officer, she didn't work a predictable 9 to 5 job. Iris had nodded when she'd asked if it was ok to be there late into the evening.

"Oh yes, we always bend the rules a little for you lot. We're in the same line of business really. You pick up the mess that people make of themselves, and we try and repair them"

Gene had categorically refused to let any of the others come to visit him and they knew better than to risk his displeasure. She'd sit by his bed, updating him about the various cases they were working on, keeping him informed without worrying him too much, as she knew how he hated to feel sidelined. At first he frequently fell asleep in the middle of a conversation, but she'd been told by the nurses it was just the drugs and the exhaustion kicking in. Mr. Roberts dropped by often, always putting Gene in a foul mood. "You know Bols, that twat hangs around 'ere so bloody much, I'm beginning to think I've got BUPA with me knowing"

One evening, he seemed edgy, starting to talk and then stopping. In the end he caught her hand as she was about to leave,

"Look Bols, about that apology. I was an idiot. I do know wot you've done for me…….I am grateful" he paused, awkwardly. "I just got angry. You're part of my team, not 'is…… a very important part of my team….and I don't like you spending so much time working wi' 'im. I want you back in the office wi' us……….wi' me………that's why I got you the….." He tailed off, looking up at her, searching her face for a clue to her thoughts.

She patted his hand, "It's fine Gene, fine. There's no need to apologise any more. I understand". She kept her reply brief and light, afraid that the joy she felt would show in her face "It's late…I'd better go"

"Oh ok…well I'll see you tomorrow then?" his tone was slightly puzzled, and she left quickly, feeling that she'd misunderstood something.

The next morning she found Mr. Roberts waiting for her in the ward corridor. They chatted for a while about nothing in particular and then, with a nervous smile, he'd asked her out to lunch.

"Um, well, that's very kind you…." Alex began,

"But it's still going to be a no, is it?" he said

She nodded, "Sorry"

He shrugged "Oh well, you can't blame a man for trying. To quote your boss "You're a classy piece of work" Alex Drake".

She stood there for a few seconds after he'd left, and then Gene's voice echoed into the corridor

"Who are you talking to Bolly? It's not that knobby posh bloke of a doctor again, is it? 'e's been asking me far too many questions about you. You don't want to go out with nancy-boys like 'im. I hope you told 'im to sod off"

He sounded so self-assured, so certain she would've done as he said, that against her will, she felt her hackles rise. How bloody dare he! He had no right to offer an opinion. Any one would think that he owned her.

"I think, _Gene_, that I am quite capable, at my age, of deciding who I do, or don't go out with, without any assistance from you – thank-you very much. If I want to go to lunch with a knobby posh bloke I will". She stood in the doorway of his room, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at him. She wasn't going to let him know she'd already declined Mr. Roberts' offer

He stared at her for a moment, his expression confused and hurt. "Fine…… Suit your bloody self. I'm going back to sleep, I'm tired. You do what you like. You can sit on your arse and watch me, or you can go and do something useful"

"Fine….. I will. I'm going back to work. Some of us are still trying to find out who shot you, though God knows why we bother sometimes"

The doors to the CID room banged open and everyone looked up, as Alex swept in, her expression set and furious. She threw her jacket onto the back of her chair and headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Ray grimaced at Chris "Shit." he said "I told you it wer too good to last. They've started fighting again, you mark my words. That's all we bloody need, no Guv, and her with her knickers in a twist"

Chris coughed as he caught sight of Alex returning. He buried his head in his magazine and prayed for her to walk past him.

The day passed slowly for everyone, Alex was in an unusually bad mood and they were all grateful to escape to Luigi's at just gone 6. She knew better than to disrupt the "lunch time" routine.

"You coming, Boss?" asked Ray cautiously. He was hoping she'd say no, but he felt awkward leaving her out.

"Thanks Ray, but I'll give it a miss. I should really go and see how our Lord and Master is getting on"

"Feeling better is he" grinned Ray.

He'd never admit it to anyone, but he'd been out of his mind with worry about the Guv. He couldn't wait for him to return and for things to go back to normal. Alongside Alex, he'd thrown himself into finding out who had shot Gene, and things were looking positive. Next week, all being well, they were poised to arrest a drug dealer, whose operation had been broken by Gene a few months ago. He'd escaped arrest but his men were caught red-handed and would be certain to receive hefty prison sentences when the case came to court. Kingsland had sworn revenge on Gene at the time, but everyone had dismissed him as finished. It seemed as though he'd carried through with the threat and Ray was determined to bring him down.

Alex smiled wryly back at him "Yes, he's feeling better. Throwing his weight around and getting far too opinionated"

"Almost back to normal then" grinned Ray "Night, Boss. Give him our best."

When she reached the main door to the ward, she hesitated. She wanted to see him but she didn't want to fight with him again. Why did he have to be so infuriating? She asked herself. Caught up in her indecision, she was greeted by Iris hurrying up the corridor carrying a large stack of files.

"Ah DI Drake, just person I wanted to see. Mr Hunt is being discharged tomorrow and he's been told on no account is he to go home on his own. He needs someone with him for at least the next fortnight, if not 3 weeks. It's his arm you see, he needs help, and of course we're worried about his side too. He needs keeping an eye on – make sure he doesn't over do things" she smiled at Alex expectantly.

"I don't quite see what this has to do with me" Alex stammered "He's my boss, not….."

Iris cut her off, "Yes, yes, I know that, but surely you were aware that Mr Hunt had named you as first point of contact in his personnel file? There isn't anyone else listed, we rang the station and got them to check for us"

Alex was non-pulsed "DCI Hunt put _my_ name down in his personnel file?" she said slowly

"Yes!" Iris sounded exasperated now "Quite frankly he's not really ready to leave yet, but he insists he is, and to tell you the truth, I'll be glad to see him go"

"Oh I'm sorry", Alex felt cross with him now, "He's got a terrible temper and a foul mouth. I'm so sorry if he's been upsetting your nurses"

"There's no if about it, DI Drake, but _he's_not been upsetting them. They've all been upsetting each other, trying to get themselves put on the rota to look after him. Your DCI is a very attractive man, and he's causing havoc amongst my young ladies. Mind you, if I was twenty years younger, I'd be very tempted myself. There's just something about a man like him, isn't there?". She flashed Alex a wicked grin.

Alex was genuinely lost for words. Not only would it seem that Gene the centre of female attention on the ward, and she hadn't even noticed, she was also expected to look after him for the foreseeable future, starting from tomorrow! She couldn't face him now, Alex realized. She needed time to get it all straight in her mind.

"Right, look…… Tell him that something came up, that I'll see him tomorrow afternoon at about 1 o'clock. He can stay with me I suppose, but I'll need to tomorrow morning to sort things out."

Iris beamed at her "Well that's all taken care of then. He said you'd let him stay. He seemed very certain of it. Between you and me, I think he's got a bit of a soft spot for you. Keeps talking about a promise you made to him"

Alex's eyes went wide with shock "Oh Hell" she thought "I'd forgotten all about that. I thought he had too." She had no idea how Gene felt about her. She wasn't sure she wanted him to collect on that particular promise. Maybe once she would have been happy with it, but since she'd realized the true depth of her feelings him, she didn't really want to consider a purely physical encounter. She knew it wouldn't be enough for her.

Alex was up early the next morning, after a fitful night's sleep. She called the station and left a message for Ray, explaining why she wouldn't be in. She didn't even want to think about how Ray and the others would react to the news that Gene was staying with her.

She walked up to Chapel Street. The market was on today and she knew she could buy the things she needed there. New sheets & a duvet, more towels, hers were pale pink and she didn't think Gene would appreciate them. She wondered what would happen whilst she was at work; surely they weren't expecting her to baby-sit him all day? What would he do? Day time TV in 2008 was pretty dire, she mused, Lord knows what it was like now – she had a vague recollection of schools programming. On impulse, she bought a portable radio from the second hand electronics shop and then, feeling inspired; she got a whole stack of books from stall in the market, Westerns, thrillers, James Bond and some Jack Higgins. She hadn't a clue if Gene did anything as cerebral as reading, but she'd done her best.

It took a while to get everything home. "So much for not needing the spare room", she said to herself, as she made up the bed. Eventually Alex could delay no longer and she set off for Whitechapel. He was going to be in her house, with her, she thought with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, her hands shaking as she locked the front door. "Keep calm Alex, keep calm" she told herself "He'll think you've lost you mind if you show up like this"

Gene was sitting on his bed, dressed in a grey suit, with a black shirt. It made him look pale and drawn and she resolved not to fight with him, however irritating he may get. Iris had already warned her that he'd refused to have him arm strapped up in a sling. "He was very vocal about it" she'd said "In fact, he swore like a trooper. He's certainly got a fine command of the more earthy terms of abuse".

His face lit up when he caught sight of her. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, Bolly"

He seemed to have got over his strange mood of yesterday morning and Alex was quite happy not to bring it up.

His feet rested on a battered leather weekend bag. He noticed her looking at it, "My clothes. Phoned Ray last night and got him to drop them off this morning. Right then, shall we go?"

"Just one question? Why me? Why not Ray?"

"That's two questions. The answer to both is, Ray's a bloke. He can only just about look after himself. I need tender, loving care, Bolly. A woman's touch" He raised his eyebrows at her, suggestively, and grinned like a naughty schoolboy.

Alex closed her eyes briefly "Count to ten" she told herself

"Come on Bols, I want to get home for my dinner. 'ope you're making me something nice. Wouldn't feed a dog on the food in 'ere"

"Make that twenty" she thought, watching him slowly stand up . He was obviously still in a great deal of pain, but she knew him well enough not to let her concern for him show.

Despite his obvious pallor, he looked as gorgeous as ever. How the hell was she going to cope with him?

"Right then" she said in a voiced laced with false brightness, just as she'd used to when she was trying to hide something from Molly. "Let's get you home"

He gave her a puzzled look "I'm not nine, you know Bolly. I'm a big boy now"

That, thought Alex darkly, is exactly what I'm afraid of.

After a tense journey back, with Gene cursing and threatening the taxi driver at every bump in the road, they were finally home. Alex showed him around the kitchen.

"Kettle Bols, kettle, that's all I need to know about. I suppose you've got biscuits, haven't you"

Alex sighed. "Yes Gene. I've got a whole cupboard of them just for you"

"Good."

He grinned at her tiredly. "Bed?"

"What?" Alex had been distracted, staring, marveling at just how big he seemed in her kitchen. He dwarfed the space, physically dominating it, all broad shoulders and long legs. All man, she thought, with a hot shiver. The word "bed" took on whole new layer of meaning when he uttered it.

"I said bed. Where is it? I'm knackered Bols and I need some kip if I'm ever going to get my strength back. Never got a minutes peace in hospital, all those bloody nurses, clucking and twittering at me all the time"

"Oh yes, bed. Top floor. Sorry about all the stairs. Come on, I'll show you"

She carried his bag up for him, shooing him on ahead and firmly telling him that she could manage. When she reached the door to his room, he was sprawled out across the bed, grinning "Lovely Bolly. Want to test it with me? He patted the mattress beside him

Bloody hell, what was the matter with him? Had they given him different drugs? Flustered Alex disappeared downstairs, muttering about food. When she went up a little while later, he was asleep, snoring gently, his blond hair falling across his face. He really did have the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen on a man. She left him where he was and went out to sit in the garden, her head full of images of herself & Gene in her dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**OK. I got this one finished tonight so here it is. It's long and there's lots of UST. I promise I will resolve some of it in the next chapter .Hope you like it**

For the next fortnight or so, Alex felt as though she was living in a surreal dream, if it was at all possible to live a dream within a dream. Her current life was bizarre enough anyway, without the added presence of Gene in her house. It meant that she was constantly on her guard. She was terrified to relax in case he guessed how she really felt about him.

Sometimes though, she just couldn't hide it. The second morning he was with her, she'd heard him shout with pain from upstairs and had gone up to see if he was ok. He was sitting on the bed wearing boxer shorts, his shirt open, hair wet from the shower. He'd looked up at her in frustration. Alex had felt her mouth go dry and her stomach drop at the sight of him. Oh God, he looked good, too good. She'd wanted to push him backwards on to the mattress, and crawl up the length of his body, licking & sucking & kissing…….."

"Bolly?...BOLS! – Jesus woman, will you pay attention!" Gene's voice had jerked her out of her daydream. "I'm sitting here half naked, freezing my knackers off, and you're in bloody La La Land!"

He'd gestured wildly, making his shirt fall open even wider. Alex had tried desperately to think of something else, other than the phrase "half naked"

"It's this damn arm. I can't do up the sodding buttons. My shoulder hurts and my fingers won't work"

could kiss it better and you try them out on me, Alex had thought salaciously. What was wrong with her! Her mind was a sewer after all it would seem. She hoped her thoughts didn't show on her face.

"You know, I could just go and buy you some T-Shirts" she suggested, tentatively.

The look of disgust on his face was enough to tell her what he thought of that idea.

"T-shirts are for students or long-haired, work-shy, layabouts, or the worse kind of Southern poofter, not the Gene Genie. Next thing I know, you'll be buying me a pair of comfy trainers and a nice jumper!"

"Ok. It was just a thought" she'd held up her hands in defeat

Kneeing in front of him, she'd reached out to pull his shirt closed. She could smell the fresh, clean scent of his skin. Between her legs, she'd known she was soaking wet, a pulse throbbing unbearably. Her hands were shaking. She folded her arms and squeezed them against her ribs hard to stop the trembling. Gene never took his eyes off her.

"Sugar rush" she'd bluffed

"Don't mind me Bolly. You look great from where I'm sitting" he'd murmured softly and she'd realized he had a perfect view of her cleavage from where he'd was, looking down at her. She hadn't replied, bending her head to hide her flushed cheeks, carefully doing up the buttons as quickly as she could.

She'd felt his hot breath by her ear as he spoke softly,

Thank you. If I ask nicely, will you undo them for me later?"

Alex had pushed herself quickly backwards away from him as if burned, almost falling in her haste to stand.

"I'm going, I'll be late" she'd gabbled

"Well I 'appen to know your boss is off sick" grinned Gene "You could stay a little longer if you liked"

"Can't,…..things to do" Alex had fled, her heart hammering in her chest.

What was going on? she'd thought frantically as she'd walked all the way to work. She hoped the exercise would get rid of the very carnal effect he had on her. Why was he behaving like this? What had changed between them? Nothing, she reasoned. He was obviously just teasing her, playing cat & mouse – waiting for her to fulfill the promise. What would she do if, or more likely, when he really did asked to collect? Would she give in to him and settle for "just sex". Who was she kidding? Of course she would, she couldn't think straight when he touched her, her whole body ached for him. To experience him just once would be better than always wondering what might have been. Reaching the station, Alex had paused to collect her thoughts from the gutter they'd descended into again, and resolved to try and put any lustful thoughts of Gene Hunt out of her mind when she was at work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gradually, despite Alex's earlier worries, she'd begun to relax. Gene had made no reference to her promise and she'd managed to convince herself that Gene was just being Gene – messing about and teasing her just for the hell of it.

She stood in the kitchen, finishing the last dregs of her tea. "Gene" she called "Your toast's going cold!" Before she left for the office she'd make him breakfast. After the swearing and mess that ensued the first time he'd tried to butter toast with one hand, she'd convinced him it was easier if she did it. She left him his own devices during the day. He'd been out a couple of times on his own, promising her he'd be careful and not over do it. He wouldn't tell her were he was going. "Little bit of business" was all he'd say.

After work, she'd get a take-away or sometimes, she'd cook for them both. I've got it bad, she thought to herself, I'm making him breakfast and cooking for him. Years of women's liberation trashed by power of the Genie. He surprised her totally on the occasions that she did cook, by helping her to lay the table and clear away afterwards. "Can't have you doing all the work Bolly, you'll have no strength left for anything else" and he'd grin wickedly, giving her a lewd wink.

Ray came to visit a few of times, but she knew he felt uncomfortable sitting talking to the Guv in her kitchen. He was obviously as disconcerted by the change in Gene's manner as she was.

"Is he alright Boss?" he'd asked her in a low voice, on his last visit. He's just witnessed Gene walking upstairs whistling happily.

She'd shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine Ray. You've known him far longer than I have"

Ray had snorted "There's only two things that'd make the Guv behave like that. A 5-horse accumulator coming up trumps, or good seeing-to"

Alex had given him a long, level look, and Ray had blushed as he'd suddenly realized what he's just accused his two senior officers of doing. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry Boss"

When Alex had seen him to the front door half an hour later, she'd lent forward, until her mouth had been level with his ear "Just for the record, I am categorically NOT giving DCI Hunt, 'a good seeing-to'. Is that clear?" She'd stepped back and smiled at him sweetly.

"Yes, Ma'm. As crystal"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One evening of the second week, Ray & Chris dropped by with beers and a take-away. She left them to it and took herself off to the cinema. She got back to find a remarkably tidy kitchen, beer bottles & take-away cartons in the dustbin and all the plates washed up. Gene was stretched on the sofa waiting for her "Sorry Bols, we've made your lovely kitchen stink of smoke. We should 'ave gone in the garden. Don't worry, I only 'ad a couple of beers, Chris & Ray drank the rest" She stared at him in surprise. Could blood transfusions cause personality changes? She wondered.

He smiled sheepishly "Can't drink with these damn pills, they make my head spin".

"Who taught you to be so tidy Gene?" she asked, just for something to say, trying frantically to distract herself from the fact that he looked so damn sexy lying there, like a big cat sunning himself. She perched herself on the very edge of sofa, by his feet. He'd pulled his legs back, making room for her to sit properly, then swung them back again onto her lap with a contented sigh. Alex had tensed, wondering where on earth to put her hands. In the end she folded her arms and sat very still, trying to control her suddenly ragged breathing.

"Doing National Service makes you learn to be tidy pretty, damn quick. If your kit wasn't all in order you'd find yourself on punishment duty." He paused, as if weighing up what he was going to say next "My ex-wife is a very house-proud woman. I'd get seven shades of shit nagged out of me if I left anything out of place or made a mess" he'd smiled ruefully "Not 'er fault really I suppose. She never knew where I was or wot I was up to with work, so at 'ome she made me toe the line. She's wi' an accountant now. He's got a proper 9 to 5 job, always there when she wakes up, 'ome for his tea at 6, nice little safe life. Makes 'er happier than I ever did" He'd tailed off, staring out into the garden. "I'm best off out it"

"Do you miss her" Alex asked him impulsively, needing to know.

Gene laughed humourlessly "No I bloody don't. I thought I did at first, but I just missed having someone to run around after me." He turned to look her, his grey/blue eyes dark and smoky

"Thing was Bols, my marriage always came second to the force. The job was my passion, not 'er. When I was younger, getting married was wot everyone did. You found a pretty girl, good tits, nice arse, all that kind of thing, and because she was a "nice" girl and wouldn't let you shag her without a ring on her finger, you married 'er. Then you shagged the arse of each other, because you could. You never really stopped to wonder if you loved each other enough to spend your whole lives together. We didn't. It's as simple as that."

He sighed heavily. Alex sat very still, without speaking. He'd never, ever talked so openly to her before and she was fascinated. He gave a wry smile

"After a few years, I got bored and she got miserable. We had nothing in common. I tried to be a good boy but after a while, I messed around with other women" He closed his eyes in reminiscence. "Sometimes I was a very bad boy indeed. We were doomed from the start really, didn't even know wot real love was. It's taken me long enough, but I've realized it now……" he stopped, and rubbed a hand across his face

"Jesus Christ" he said "these pills are worse than I thought. Listen to me talking complete bollocks" He swung himself painfully off the sofa, "'Night Bolly", and he disappeared, leaving Alex sitting alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Most evenings it was just the two of them, sitting in the kitchen, talking about this and that, everything and nothing. It was strangely and unbearably erotic, being with him in such an ordinary, domestic situation. Sometimes as she passed him on the landing or he brushed against her in kitchen, the nearness of him made her head spin. She'd smashed 3 pieces of crockery already, unable to cope with the sensation of his fingers touching hers as he washed-up one-handed and she dried.

Alex existed in a state of permanent exhilaration and arousal, her dreams becoming more and more graphic. She lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about the fact that he was sleeping in her spare bed, just feet away from her. She didn't want to admit to herself that he would return to his flat at some point, although he really did seem happy to be in her company, with no sign of wanting to leave. Sometimes she caught him watching her, with a strange expression on his face, if she didn't know better, she'd have said it was yearning, but that was ridiculous. Gene Hunt was a lion on the prowl; he didn't have to yearn after women. By all accounts they threw themselves at him.

She managed very well for nearly three weeks, despite him asking her to do up his shirt every morning, when one morning, her phone rang.

It was Viv.

"I've got a lady on the line who wants to talk to DCI Hunt. I've told her you're taking all his calls, Ma'm"

"OK Viv, put her through"

There was a pause and then a woman's voice spoke. She sounded young and breathy.

"Hello, DI Drake, this is Sandy. Can you give DCI Hunt a message for me please? He told me all about you the other day, said he was staying with you."

Alex frowned. Who the hell was Sandy? The x-rated voice continued. She'd make a fortune from chat-lines, Alex thought idly.

"Tell him the other afternoon was fantastic. What he did was just perfect" She giggled throatily and Alex suddenly had a vision of a young Barbara Windsor.

"He might be knocking on a bit, your Mr Hunt, but he knows how to teach a girl" she giggled again, naughtily, and Alex had had enough.

"Yes I'll pass the message on" she said icily.

"Blimey" whispered Ray to Chris "she's gone all Queen Victoria. She could cut glass with that accent"

Alex banged the phone down and stared at her desk furiously. Just when she'd thought she was seeing a different side to him, he turned out to be same as every other shitbag of a bloke.

"How fucking DARE he. Making her feel like he did, all the while carrying on with this,…. "Sandy" – fucking stupid name." Alex kicked her waste-paper basket viciously.

Chris made face at Ray and they both sloped off to the kitchen. "I'm sick of this" Ray muttered. "Why can't they just shag and get it over wi'. She says they're not but we all know they want to. Tyler might have been a twat, but we never 'ad this sort of crap"

"They still argued though" mused Chris

"Yeh!...but like blokes argue... bit 'a shouting, good punch or two and then down the pub,…… all over with, nice and simple. I can't be doing wi' the way birds argue… they change the rules all the time"

Back at her desk, Alex seethed. "I bet she's a blonde" she thought grimly "He's a sucker for a blonde". She thought about how to deal with this new knowledge and decided she would say nothing. She would carry on as usual. She wouldn't be passing the message on though or taking anymore calls from her. "If she wants to call and say "thank you" to him again, she can bloody well wait for him to get back to work." Alex dug her nails into her palms. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or throw something.

She made another decision. She wouldn't go back on her promise, she had too much pride and she knew that going back on your word was not something that you did with Gene. He never broke a promise, and he didn't expect his team to either. When he did make his move, she'd just lay down the rules first. She'd make it quite clear it was just going to be sex, enjoyable, but just sex, none the less.


	6. Chapter 6

**Right. There's absolutely, definitely smut in this chapter, but I'm afraid you all know could happen – Alex may well just mess it all up. Silly girl. Enjoy**

Alex came home late that night, buzzing with excitement, all thoughts of the phone call and her subsequent anger erased from her mind by that afternoon's events. Rushing into the kitchen she found Gene making tea, humming to himself. Bizarrely, she recognized the "Sesame Street" theme tune – he does watch daytime telly then, she thought distractedly.

Eyes shinning she told him her news. That afternoon they'd arrested Gerry Mackenzie, small time thief and big time junkie for Gene's shooting. They'd been given a tip-off by an informer that Gerry had been in the money for the last few weeks.

"That's not usual for him" puzzled Ray "Mackenzie used to have money in the days when he worked as protection for Kingsland, but he got to fond of his boss's product. He's a scumbag at the lower end of the food chain now. He never 'as any money, spends it all on coke".

Ray had checked things out further and had come back to Alex with the news that Mackenzie had also been seen recently with Kingsland. That was all Alex needed to get a warrant and search his flat. They'd found a gun under the floorboards, and Ray had immediately identified it as the same type that had been used to shoot Gene. They'd picked Mackenzie up from his local pub, later that afternoon and it hadn't taken long for him to admit the whole thing. Crucially, he'd confirmed that it was Kingsland who had paid him to do the job.

"We got him Gene. Watertight. He'll go away for a long time. Now all we need is Kingsland"

His expression was unreadable for a moment, and then he turned away.

"I need a drink" he growled

"You shouldn't really. You're on painkillers"

"Bollocks to the bloody painkillers, I need a drink. I've been without for far too long. I've been without lots of things for far too long" he looked round at her then, his eyes dark and angry. She quickly opened a cupboard and brought out a bottle of whisky. "Here" she said, handing it to him "You can have this, I'll have vodka"

An hour or so later she was sprawled across the sofa, leaning against Gene's good arm. They were both fairly drunk, and Alex realized that his anger was a reaction to feeling helpless. Someone else had solved his problem for him, removed one of his enemies from the game. He was disappointed he hadn't been able to be a part of it.

He moved slightly to pour himself another drink and winced in pain as the bottle slipped from his grasp, thumping into his side "Christ, that still hurts" he moaned. She turned towards him, swaying under the influence of the vodka, her face very close to his. She looked at him, watching as his gaze flickered from her eyes to her mouth. The moment seemed to last for ever, everything else faded away. Alex could think of nothing but the man next to her, totally under his spell.

"Bed, Alex" he whispered, a question in his eyes, and she nodded mutely before standing up. He stood up slowly and held out his hand to her. She took it wordlessly and they walked slowly up the stairs. When they reached the hallway he stumbled, falling against the banister rail and crying out in pain. She stepped closer to steady him and found herself pressed against him, the length of his body against hers. He paused for a moment, gazing at her. Alex dropped her eyes first; something in his expression was too raw, too open. He put his good hand up to her face, stroking her cheek, sliding it round underneath her hair. Slowly, so slowly he lowered his mouth to hers. "God, Bolly", he whispered against her lips, "You are so fucking beautiful". He drew her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking at it gently. He tasted of whisky and cigarettes, yet his mouth was hot and sweet. She kissed him back, hard, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth, her hands tangled in his hair. He made a growling sound deep in his chest, and tore his mouth from hers.

"Bed Alex" he panted "……….now".

When they reached her bedroom door Gene pushed her gently back against the wall, pinning her upright with his body, the hand of his un-injured arm still tangled in her hair,

"I'm going to collect on that promise now, Bolly" he growled, his mouth next to her ear. She felt her knees buckle with desire.

"You told me to think about something important and I did. I thought about you. You're in my dreams every night. You kept me going and I can't wait to have you naked in front of me. I've wanted you since the minute I first saw you"

She heard his voice shake with longing and felt him grow harder against her,

"I waited for you until I felt better. You're an incredible woman Alex, and I needed to be strong enough to do you justice".

He bit gently at her neck, and then captured her mouth with his again; his tongue thrusting deep and she felt herself moan into his open mouth. His hips pushed against her in reaction to the sounds she made. Her hands were under his shirt, running over the smooth skin of his back, she could feel herself growing wetter and wetter with each movement he made. He moved the hand of his injured arm from small of her back, and slid it down, between them, undoing the button of her jeans, easing down the zip. It must have hurt him, as she heard him hiss through his teeth, but he didn't stop. His fingers brushed the skin of her stomach, sliding lower still, slipping inside the lace of her knickers, stroking her gently. His fingers found the hot, oily warmth between her legs, and slowly he slipped them inside her. She gasped, and bit her lip, starting to shake. He moved them deftly against her, alternating between teasing her clit and plunging his fingers deep inside her.

"Is that good Bolly?" he whispered, and she moaned in reply, "Imagine how you'll feel when it's my cock inside you"

Alex felt herself starting to come, every nerve ending screaming with desire for him. She had wanted this for so long and his touch was overwhelming. She arched her neck back and pushed her hips down hard onto his fingers, her knees giving way with the intensity of her orgasm. His other hand moved from her hair to her waist, supporting her as she bucked against him. He held her close, kissing her neck gently as she recovered. When she finally opened her eyes, he was staring at her in wonder. He raised his wet fingers to his lips and licked them slowly.

"Mmmm – I was right, you do taste good" whispered. She drew him down to her and kissed him, tasting the muskiness of her body on his tongue. He lent against her, his breathing ragged.

"I'm strong enough now Alex. I want you … now…." He pulled away from her, taking her hand, guiding her towards the bedroom.

Alex didn't move, remaining against the wall. She felt overpowered by him, body and soul, burning for him. She forced herself to think through all the heat and the desire that clouded her mind. She had to say this, she needed to tell him, before it was too late, before she got in too deep. She tried desperately to find the right way of saying it, but her head was spinning with a combination of drink and lust, and in the end the words just tumbled out.

"Gene, stop. I know I promised, but it's just sex, OK? That's all. A debt repaid. I know all about your "little bit of business", and for all I know there may be umpteen other women – you seem to have that effect on them. Well, I'm not going to join them without setting out the ground rules" she laughed wildly. She took a depth breath, forcing herself to keep her tone light. "I'll keep my promise Gene, I have to, I want too - when you touch me like that I'll do anything you want me to, but it will just be for one night"

He'd pulled his hand from hers somewhere in the middle of her speech and he stood apart from her, frowning in disbelief.

"But I don't want you for just one night Alex, I want you again and again…all the time. I've waited so long……."

She held up her hand; palm out, to stop him. She had to tell him straight before this got out of control. She was going to make it clear that she wasn't up for casual sex any more. That no matter how much he wanted her body, a series "no-strings sexual encounters" with him were not on the cards. She wasn't going to tell him how she really felt, though, couldn't make herself feel that vulnerable. He had the power to destroy her utterly and she wasn't going to give him any ammunition.

"Gene, I am NOT going to be your office "bit-on-the-side". Yes, I slept around when I first got here, but I'm not like that now. I know how you feel about me but it's still once and once only, and then we go back to how we were"

"…...go back to how we were?" he repeated, incredulously. "How can you say that after I …", he broke off, his face twisted with pain. "What kind of man do you think I am Alex? I know it's hard to believe sometimes where you're involved, but I still have some pride left." He dropped his head down on his chest and gave a bitter laugh. He remained motionless for a moment and then looked up, his expression bleak.

Alex felt her heart constrict. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He was the Gene Genie; he was fine with "just a shag" - wasn't he? This was what he wanted; he'd said so, hadn't he? Alex felt sick with dread. She watched him warily.

He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head as if realising something and rubbed a hand across his face. When he looked up again the bleakness had gone from his expression and his eyes were hard.

"What did you do with my jacket Alex?" he asked coldly.

"What?" she was bewildered at the sudden change of subject

"My jacket, Alex" he spat out the words "The one I gave you to wear on the night I was shot"

"I don't know, I can't remember." She was angry, defensive." Why are you so bothered about your jacket?"

She didn't understand. Why was his damn jacket so important? She froze, her mind flashing back to the road out outside Luigi's, Gene desperately trying to telling her something….. Fuck! Something about his jacket. She'd forgotten. Oh god, how could she have done? And what had she done with his jacket? She'd been so scared that he might die. There'd been no room in her mind for anything else. She looked at him guiltily.

"I haven't got it" she whispered, ashamed. "I must have left it at the hospital."

He gripped the banister so hard she could see his knuckles turn white. He shook his head, looking at her in despair. "Find my jacket, Alex" He spoke in a broken voice "Find my jacket and it will explain everything. I can't. I'm too tired for all this nonsense", and he turned away, trudging wearily upstairs to his room.

Alex remained where she was until long after he had shut his bedroom door, her body still burning from his touch, her mouth swollen with the heat of his lips. She heard him moving around for while, a click, as he switched of his light, then silence.

Not until she was shivering in the cold night air did she finally accept that he wasn't coming back. Slowly she climbed into bed, curling herself up into a ball, her body heaving with silent sobs. She huddled there, her mind replaying the scene again and again in her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok. Next Chapter. It's short but it gives Luigi a chance to dispense some his wisdom and maybe, just maybe Alex is beginning to realise what an idiot she's been.**

Alex felt numb and exhausted. Sleep had refused to come to her at all; she couldn't even take refuge in her dreams. She lay in bed, watching the room get gradually lighter and lighter as dawn broke.

Finally at six, she got up, showered, dressed and left the house as silently as she could. She was at her desk at just before 7. The rest of team tricked in dribs and drabs over the next hour and a half.

"Morning Ma'm, Rough night was it?" Shaz stood by Alex's desk, holding out a mug of tea.

"Something like that Shaz. Does it show?" she smiled wryly at the younger woman. Alex knew she looked dreadful.

Shaz caught the edge of sadness in her tone and smiled sympathetically "Just a bit Ma'am. I can lend you some lippy if you like?"

"I don't think lippy is going to solve my problems Shaz, but thanks" Alex took the proffered mug, and sipped it gratefully.

She spent the morning going over the statements from a spate of nasty burglaries, trying to find any leads. She was worried that who ever was responsible would escalate the violence until someone was killed. Ray had gone out after a brief phone call. She thought she'd heard the word "Guv" in there somewhere, but she'd been distracted by the Superintendent, who'd dropped in to see how they were coping with Gene's absence. She's been very careful to stress how much they all missed him, and that the department functioned more effectively with Gene at the helm.

In the afternoon she took Chris to talk to an informant who'd tipped them off about large amounts of cocaine on the streets. In the vacuum left by the destruction of Kingsland's little empire, a number of players were stepping up to be the main dealer in the area, and the snout had mentioned that one of them was being generous with his wares in an attempt to snare more punters.

Returning to the station, just after six, she left Chris to wait for Shaz. They were off to some new club in Tottenham Court Road. Alex made her way to Luigi's. She'd managed to avoid thinking too much of Gene all day, by keeping busy, but now she was reluctant to go home, scared to face him. She knew that he thought she'd done something terrible but she couldn't work it out. What the hell had she done with his jacket though? She remembered having it with her when she'd been at the hospital. She'd held it to her, breathing in the scent of him from it, the nearest link she had to him.

"You are eating alone, Senorigna?", Luigi's smiling but slightly worried form appeared behind the bar.

"Yes I am, Luigi. Alone. Just me. Story of my bloody life" she laughed bitterly.

"You are not going home to Mr Hunt this evening? He will miss you"

"I think that I'm the last person Mr Hunt wants see at this moment in time, Luigi…….. God I need a drink. Skip the food, I'll just have wine"

Silently he opened a bottle of house red and poured her a large glass. He left her alone then, busying himself with other customers, returning to her only to open more wine for her. She drank slowly, not wanting to get too drunk in case she had to face Gene later on. It was gone midnight when the last customers left. He locked the door behind them and made his way over to her.

"You are fighting again then?" his face was disapproving as she drained her glass and motioned for him to fill it up.

"Yes, we're are fighting again, and this time I think I've really fucked up. I don't think he'll forgive me"

Luigi frowned; he didn't like it when she swore. To him, she was too much of a lady to use such language.

"You listen to me Alex," he polished a glass fiercely as he spoke. "Mr Hunt, he cares for you very much. I watch him all the time, watching you..."

Alex started to speak and he cut her off "Yes he is rude, yes he shout at you, but he cares for you, very much, under this big macho man act" Luigi screwed his face into a scowl, puffing out his chest in a parody of Gene.

Alex felt herself smile, despite everything.

"You think so Luigi? Then why is he such a shit to me sometimes. I never know where I am with him. Why can't he just tell me" she wailed. She took a gulp of wine and rested her head on the bar "Bloody, bloody men!"

"Because he is scared. Because he's been hurt before. All you just said, he say the same about you. Even the bloody, bloody woman part."

She looked up indignantly and he smiled sadly at her. "You talk _at_ each other all the time. You don't see what you're _not_ saying. You are both so bloody _English!", _his voice rose in exasperation. "Italians, we don't have these problems….. We say what feel….. wrong or right, scary or not scary. We're not afraid to live our lives." He took her hand in his "Go home to him Signorina Drake. Talk to him, even if you are scared, talk to him. Tell him what is in your heart. Tell him you love him" Alex looked startled "But I don't….."

"No!" Luigi held a finger up "No! You love him, I know it is true. I watch you. I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. But Mr Hunt, he can't see it, he doesn't know how to look into your heart. You have to show him"

She sat for a moment, letting his words sink in and then nodded. She would do as Luigi said. She would give Gene her heart, give in to the power that he welded over her with such devastating effect.

Luigi smiled as she picked up her jacket, "Good. I call you a taxi"

The house was in darkness when she reached home. Paying the taxi driver, she was suddenly struck by a memory – She'd left it in the taxi! His jacket – she'd had it when she'd got in, she remembered putting round her shoulders for warmth. It must have slipped off as she'd got out!

She let herself in, and without stopping to think too much, climbed the stairs to his room. The door was slightly open… "Gene?" she whispered, "Gene?" No reply, he must be asleep, she thought. Well in that case, she'd wake him up. She needed to tell him before her nerve failed her. Pushing open the door Alex stepped quietly into the room.

His bed was empty, stripped of sheets and pillowcases, the duvet folded up in the middle of the mattress. Alex shook her head is disbelief, he couldn't have….could he? She walked over to the wardrobe and flung it open – empty. Bathroom cabinet – empty. She found the used towels and sheets bundled into the laundry bin. She slumped down on to the bedroom floor, leaning her back against the bed and stared into space. Where had he gone? She didn't blame him for leaving, she thought, leaning her head back on the matress. She felt wrung out, exhausted by it all, too tired even to cry. Her eyes closed, in spite of everything and she slept.

The digital alarm clock on the bedside cabinet woke her at seven. She was lying on the carpet in Gene's room, cold and cramped. She stumbled down to the kitchen in search of aspirin, her head pounding.

She stopped in the doorway, staring in amazement. On the kitchen table was an orchid plant in a red pot. Blazing with colour, it made her heart lift slightly. Her favourite flowers, she had always had them in her rooms at home. In 2008 they were plentiful, easy to find, but in 1980's London, they were only sold in the most expensive shops and florists and there were none of those near the station. She gently touched a petal with her finger, marveling at the intricate pattern of the flower's throat.

Propped against the pot was a small envelope. Opening it slowly, she withdrew a plain white card.

"Rare & expensive, like yourself", she read "With thanks for all your help over the last weeks". There was nothing else, just the front door key she'd given him, taped to the back.


	8. Chapter 8

**OK. Two Chapters at once because I'm spoiling you all for being so lovely with your reviews. Thank You.**

**WARNING: These are "Plot Without Smut" chapters so don't going getting yourself all worked up. They're getting there (slowly) but Alex needed to work some stuff out and Gene needed a good ****shout (I love him when gets angry).**

The next week at work was hell. She couldn't even go and get drunk at Luigi's afterwards, as she couldn't face another lecture. Alex had no idea where Gene was. She knew Ray was in contact with him though; either that or he was taking way too many personal calls at work. He's hunker down at his desk, speaking quietly, stopping completely if she was near. Afterwards he'd wait ten minutes and then leave for an hour or so. On Thursday, Alex had had enough. She'd spent the morning calling all the cab dispatch offices in the area, trying to find out which cab had taken her home that night. She'd drawn a blank, just as she had for the last 2 days and she felt pissed off.

Seeing Ray exiting the office yet again, she stepped in front of him.

"Leaving us again Ray?" she asked acidly. Ray looked uncomfortable and nodded curtly.

"Well, it's got to be one of two things Ray. Either you're in the grip of a torrid love affair and you can't get enough of her, or you're sneaking off to meet our glorious leader. If it's the later, can you please remind him that he may be able to sit around on his arse all day, as he's still signed off, but YOU are at work and I'd like you both to remember that" Alex stood back to let him past. Ray looked at her for a moment, then turned and walked back to his desk.

Half an hour later, returning from the kitchen with her tea, she saw his desk empty. What did you expect? She told herself. They've worked together for years. You're lucky he actually went and sat back down when he did. At least he respects you enough these days to bugger off when you're not around, and not blatantly disobey you.

On Friday Alex went down with a migraine. She hadn't had one for years, not since she'd been married, but the worrying about Gene, coupled with a lack of sleep, had caused it to hit her hard. The pain of it kept her in bed all that day and Saturday. Sunday she spent lying on her sofa doing nothing at all. Monday morning she was wrung out, but forced herself into work. They'd all been in half an hour, when the double doors crashed open, making everyone jump.

Gene stood framed in the doorway, like a sheriff in the entrance to a saloon. He walked slowly forward, head held high, his lips set in that infuriating pout.

"Right you bunch of useless twats, I'm back! Normal service will now resume. I will know if anyone's used my darts, I will know if anyone's been at my single malt, and I 'ope for your sakes that you've done neither. Welcome back to reality Gentlemen. You've had it easy these last few weeks, but I'm back in the saddle now, so look lively"

He threw Alex a brief, contemptuous look where she sat, head down at her desk and disappeared into his office. The rest of them stood in shocked silence.

"Well, get on with some work then, you brain-dead morons!" His roar made them scatter, trying to look busy.

Gene managed not to speak to her for the next 3 days. When he needed to let her know anything, he addressed the whole team, leaving her to try and interpret which actions he wanted her to carry out. He kept the door to his office shut at all times and pulled the blinds down on one side so that his view of Alex's desk was blocked. His temper was off the scale and everyone was tense. By Thursday, she'd had accepted it enough to try and concentrate on her work, instead of waiting on tenterhooks for his next tirade.

Shaz came in with a tray of tea, opening Gene's door, she silently placed his mug on the corner of his desk. She forgot to shut the door behind her as she left, coming across the office and perching herself on the edge of Alex's desk. He'll shout in a minute, thought Alex grimly.

"I never asked you; did you like your present Ma'am? Only I hadn't seen you with it….. And I wondered if you didn't like it. I didn't like to mention before…"

Alex looked up, mystified. "Present, Shaz?" she queried. How did she know about the orchid? And why did she expect her to bring it into work?

"Yes, Ma'm. It took ages to choose which one you'd like" she looked at Alex in puzzlement.

"Grainger!" Gene's bellow nearly took the roof off. Tea slopped over Shaz's tray.

"Here we go again" muttered Alex.

"Yes, sir?"

"Tea!"

Shaz glanced at Alex "But, I just gave you your tea Guv. It's on your desk"

Gene picked up the mug, and walking over to the open window, tipped its contents onto the pavement below.

Alex and Shaz stared in astonishment.

Jesus, I hope it didn't hit anyone; it was boiling hot, worried Alex.

"No sugar!" he barked "Make me another one"

"But you've given up sugar Guv……" Shaz stammered and Alex, seeing Gene draw in a huge breath, put her head in her hands.

"I DON'T GIVE A TRAMP'S LEFT BOLLOCK IF I'VE GIVEN UP TEA, LET ALONE BLOODY SUGAR! MAKE ME ANOTHER ONE!" The mug sailed through the door and smashed on the floor.

They'd be able to hear him at the front desk, thought Alex faintly, as Shaz hurried back to the kitchen. Chris followed her and returned a short while later with a dustpan. He knelt down and began sweeping up the fragments.

"Chris! Don't you dare clear that up! Shaz can do that".

"But she's making your tea Guv"

"Well she can bloody well clear up as well. It'll keep her quiet for a while"

Gene came to stand at the door to his office.

He addressed Chris but kept his eyes fixed on Alex. "Do you know wot I think, Christopher? I sometimes wish that all women in this sad little world of ours would just make the bloody tea,….or better, still stay at home, and let men get on wi' their jobs. That way none of us would have to put up with all the bloody CRAP they put us through!" He stared at her challengingly and she stood up, her eyes never leaving his. Swinging her jacket on, she walked slowly past him towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going" his tone was cold.

Alex stopped and turned back; stepping as close to him she could without actually touching him. In her heels she was level with him, eye to eye.

"Home" she said breezily, "I've suddenly remembered I have some housework to do"

He said nothing, letting her walk away, but she could feel his stare burning into her all the way out of the office.

She waited until she was around the corner from the station before leaning against a wall & letting out a ragged breath. Holding her hand to her mouth, she tried and failed to stop shaking. Raising her hand weakly, she hailed a taxi.


	9. Chapter 9

She'd not been in five minutes before there was a knock at the door. Opening it, she found a short, jolly-looking man in a tweed cap standing on the step. Before she could say anything, he launched into speech.

"Hello luv. Am I glad to 'ave found you. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've been wracking my brains to try an' remember what night it was. I've been off sick: I suffer somefing terrible with my back, and then we've been away. Fortnight in Benidorm, luvely weather, an' I said to the Missus, I said, he'll be missing it. She'll be in trouble, she will, 'cos you can't wear just wear the trousers to work, can you? Well you can if you've got a job like mine I suppose, but your old man must do a proper job, keeping you in a house like this………

Alex shook her head in bewilderment. Who was this strange man? Over his shoulder she could see a black cab at parked at the kerb.

"I'm sorry; who did you say you were?"

"Oh beg pardon, I didn't. Bert Watson, Pleased to meet you luv", he held out his hand and Alex shook it, still none the wiser.

"And how can I help you Mr Watson?"

He smiled and brought his other hand up from behind his back. "I took you 'ome from Whitechapel hospital, a few weeks ago. You left this in my cab" he held out a bundle of black material. "It's a bit creased I'm afraid. I'd never 'ave remembered but Maggie, she's our dispatcher, was going on about some posh bird who kept on phoning 'er about a jacket. Then, it all came back to me" He smiled happily.

Alex took the jacket, and gave him a smile so wide, he blushed.

"Mr Watson I can't thank you enough. You just may well have saved my life"

"Is your name Alex?" he asked

She nodded, still not believing that she had Gene's jacket back.

"Well then, there's a present for you in the inside pocket. Your lucky day, in' it?"

He turned and went back to his cab.

"Thank you" Alex called after him, before shutting the door.

She forced herself go down into the kitchen and sit down before feeling in the pocket. With trembling hands she drew out a small parcel wrapped in gold tissue paper. It was tied up with silver ribbons and a folded piece of paper was tucked into them. "Alex" it said, in familiar handwriting.

She stared at it, running her fingers across the letters before easing it free and unfolding it. Heart pounding, breath catching in her throat, she read what he'd written. It was dated the night he was shot. Typical bloody copper, she thought, date on everything for evidence.

"_Alex,_

_I'm sorry I upset you yesterday. I was wrong and I take it all back. _

_You've done so much for me over the last few months and I've been a bastard to you_"

She smiled "Yes, you bloody have been" she whispered.

"_I'm not a hearts & flowers sort of bloke, never have been, but I need to say this. _

_You have my heart, Alex. All of it. You have done from the second I saw you._

_It just took me a while to realize the truth. _

_The enclosed is for you, with apologies, and all my love, _

_Gene"_

Tears in her eyes, she fetched the scissors and with trembling hands, carefully cut the ribbons away from the package. Nestled in the folds of tissue was a pendant, the outline of a heart in silver on a fine chain. In the heart's hollow centre hung a small diamond, shimmering in the light.

Alex put a hand to her lips in disbelief. That's what he'd been trying to tell her as the ambulance arrived, why he'd behaved so proprietarily at the hospital. He thought she'd got his present, that she'd understood him. Hadn't she told him as much? No wonder he'd thought he was ok to collect on his promise, he believed that she knew his real intentions. Oh God, how much of a bitch must he have thought she was that night, to have read his letter and then seemingly dismiss it, telling him if they slept together it was just sex. And then to realize that she hadn't even seen it, that she'd lost his jacket. Her face burned with shame. It had been so important to him and she'd forgotten in all the worry and exhaustion. What was she going to do?

The radio on the kitchen window played softly. She always made sure it was switched on, even at night. It drowned out the silence, made her feel less alone. She raised her head to listen as a familiar song started to play. She loved this song. "Heaven Can Wait". She sat quietly as the achingly melancholy piano chords echoed through the still room, and as the vocal started, she listened to the lyrics, and the tears spilled over and ran slowly down her cheeks.

Heaven could wait, Alex realized. She may well be in a fantasy world half way between life and death, but she'd never felt more alive.

"What have I done" she thought. How much courage must it have taken for him to have even thought of doing something like this? She thought of what Luigi had told her. "He's scared,..he's been hurt before" She ached as she realized how much pain she must have caused him.

One nagging doubt still assailed her. Only one way to be sure, she thought. She went into the hall, and dialed the front desk of the station.

"Please let it be Viv" she prayed.

"Viv? It's DI Drake. Have you still got all those numbers you wrote down when you were making a note of DCI Hunt's calls?... Well, can you get them back from his desk?... Please Viv, it's important………….. Yes, I know he's in a foul mood,……………… Yes, it was me who caused it…. No, I can't tell why I need them.

_Please_ Viv, I'll buy you drinks all night next Friday….. Oh, you're a star, ….phone me at home when you've got them.

She paced along the hall backwards and forwards, waiting, snatching up the telephone before it had rung more than twice.

"Viv? Oh wonderful! Can you read them all out to me….Yes, I'm fully aware of how many there are. Can you give me the dates of the calls too……"

By a process of elimination, Alex narrowed it down to 12 phone numbers. On the forth call, she struck lucky, recognizing the breathy tones of Sandy straight away.

"Hello Pargetters. How can I help you? Our address, yes certainly…. It's 27 Hatton Garden"

An hour later Alex stood on the pavement outside Pargetters Jewelers. She may have felt like death warmed up, but she sure as hell didn't look like. She'd made sure that her hair and make-up were perfect. She wore her tightest jeans, highest heels and her bright red top. Gene's present was round her neck. If she was going to find out that Sandy was involved with Gene, then she'd at least look good while her heart broke.

"If he has been messing about with her, I'm going to bloody well tell him she used the phrase "knocking on a bit" about him" she thought, grimly.

She pushed open the door and as the shop bell sounded, a tall white haired man stepped out from a work room at the back.

"Can I help you madam?" he asked

"Does a anyone called Sandy work here?" Alex asked, showing him her badge and introducing herself.

"Yes, she's my daughter. She's just gone to the post office I'm afraid. She'll be back in little while. I'm Raymond Pargetter. She's not in trouble, I hope?

"Oh no. I wonder, can you tell me, does she know a DCI Hunt?"

Raymond's face broke into a smile.

"We both know Mr Hunt" he said "We've known him since he moved down from Manchester. I used to have a shop on Bow Lane. Mr Hunt was in there one day, getting his watch strap fixed, when some cocky little idiot tried to hold us all at gunpoint" he laughed "Gene elbowed him in the face and then kneed him in the privates – all happened so fast he didn't know what had hit him, silly lad"

"He's been teaching Sandy the same thing. She's got a spot of bother with her college tutor. Thinks just because she's a young, single mum on a bursary, she won't cause any trouble when his hands go wandering. No use reporting to the head, he's married to the creep's daughter and won't want to get involved. So Mr Hunt's been teaching her to hit him where it'll hurt most. He's been a bit slower since he's been injured but it did the trick. I thought she'd phoned him to say thank you?"

Alex felt like hugging him, but restrained herself and thought quickly.

"Yes she had. We're just investigating a few odd calls that we've been getting at the station and I'm chasing up all of DCI Hunt's to make sure they check out."

Mr Pargetter stepped forward, peering at her throat. "So it was you he bought that for." She realized he was staring at the necklace "That's one of mine. Made by my own fair hands. I told him it was a unique piece. "Just like her", Mr Hunt said, when I showed it to him. He came down here a few weeks ago, with that young PC of his. Got her to check if she thought you'd like it. I showed her a few other pieces too, to give her a choice, but she agreed with Mr Hunt."

The shop bell rang again and a pretty blonde girl in her early twenties came in. She wore a long floral skirt and a pale pink cotton jumper. She reminded Alex of a primary school teacher and looked so fresh and innocent, that Alex felt old and cynical just standing next to her.

"Sandy, this is DI Drake, She works with Mr Hunt"

Well, I was right about the hair colour thought Alex wryly, but way off on everything else.

Sandy smiled in delight at her.

"Are you Alex? You're just as lovely as Gene said you were. He's really got it bad for you, hasn't he? His faces shines when he talks about you, he gets all lit up inside. He usually looks like such an old grump"

Alex swallowed down a smile at hearing Gene described as such. "Old grump" she thought to herself. I'll tell him that next time he chucks his tea out of the window

"Oh and you're wearing the necklace. It's lovely, really suits you. You are lucky, having a man like that to take care of you. All my friends fancied him when he dropped by the college. Came to check he wasn't teaching me to pick a fight with a nutter", she giggled and the primary teacher became Babs Windsor again for a split second.

Leaving the Pargetters still singing the praises of Gene, she made her way home. How the hell was she going to put this right? In the end she rang Viv again,

"Viv, I need you to give a message to the Guv…… NO! Don't put me through. He won't talk to me anyway…… can you tell him that I've found what I lost. He's left something at my house, something precious & important to him and I need him to come and collect it himself, tonight………. No, I'm not telling you what it is…………Tell him he has to come himself, he mustn't send Ray or Chris or any of the other goons – no, especially not Shaz………Yes I know I sound mysterious…... Please Viv, just give him the message.

He rang back shortly "I've given him the message Ma'am but he says if you want to play silly buggers, you're to call him yourself"

Shit. She took a deep breath and dialed his number. The phone was picked up but no-one spoke.

"Gene, if that's you then please listen to me. If it's anyone else, you can piss off and put the Guv on". Still silence,

"Right, so we're both playing silly buggers now, are we? As Viv just told you, I've found was I lost and you've left something important at my house. You need to come and collect it tonight, in person Gene. Don't you dare bring Chris or Ray with you…… Still just silence.

"Did you hear me, Gene?...Gene?"

"I heard you, Alex " he rasped and the phone went dead.


	10. Chapter 10

**Couldn't go out on the razzle tonight and not post this. There is SMUT in it!**

Alex lit the last of the tall church candles she'd bought that afternoon and stood back, surveying the effect. Her room was bathed in a soft glow, the bed piled high with pillows. She'd remade it with fresh white bed linen, when she'd returned from meeting Shaz, in a café near the station.

Shaz had looked puzzled when Alex had handed her an envelope. It contained nothing but the spare front door key Gene had returned to her.

"Can you give this the DCI Hunt for me please? It's very important that you hand it to him yourself."

Shaz nodded. "He's not happy with you at all, is he Ma'am" It was a statement, not a question.

Alex shook her head, "No Shaz, he's not happy with me. In fact I'd go so far as to say that he hates me. I don't blame him. I've been a real bitch to him this time."

"You're wearing the necklace though" She smiled "It's gorgeous isn't it?. He must like you a bit if he got you something like that, mustn't he?"

"I don't know Shaz. I'll find out soon enough. Now, it's really important that you don't tell DCI Hunt that you've seen me. And especially don't mention the necklace"

"OK Ma'am. Don't worry you can trust me."

All Alex could do now was wait. She walked over to the full length mirror that was propped against the wall by her wardrobe, and examined her reflection. Her eyes looked huge in the candle light, the make-up accentuating them, along with her high cheekbones and red lips. She'd thought about wearing nothing at all, but she felt too exposed, too vulnerable. Instead, she'd put on her new, shatteringly expensive, underwear. Black silk and lace, the bra pushed up her breasts provocatively, the knickers just a whisper of material against her skin. Sheer stockings and suspenders made her legs look endless; an effect helped by the black, 3 inch stilettos that finished the outfit off perfectly. Around her neck lay the pendant, the diamond scintillating in the flicker of the candles.

As she waited for him, she pulled his jacket around her, the faint trace of his smell making her stomach contract with desire. Would he understand the message, she wondered. Would he give her a second chance? All she could do was wait.

It was late when she heard the key in the door. Alex held her breath, her heart beating so fast she felt it would burst. She listened as he went down to the kitchen first, and then he retraced his steps to the hall. She heard him pause, before climbing the stairs to her room. The door swung slowly open, and he stood there, a dark shadow in the doorway. She'd slipped his jacket off when she'd heard the key turn and now she stood in the middle of the room waiting for him. He took one step into the candlelight, his face impassive, "Wot do you want Alex?" he asked her, his voice betraying nothing, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"I want to keep my promise to you Gene, I want to say I'm sorry"….his eyes tracked the length of her body, stopping briefly as they rested on the necklace. Alex shivered as he took in every detail of her, but his face didn't change.

"Let me show you how sorry I am Gene….. please?" she walked slowly towards him until she stood as close as she could to him. Less than an inch of space separated them and Alex could feel the raw power emanating from him. She put a hand up to his face and touched his cheek with her fingers, "Please Gene". Her voice trembled slightly.

He caught her wrist in his hand, forcing it back away from his face. He gripped it too hard and Alex knew she would find bruises there in the morning.

"Don't play games wi' me Bolly" his voice was harsh and a muscle jumped in his cheek. She could smell the whisky on his breath "I don't play nice when I'm angry. I tend to forget my manners" His eyes were hard and the faint aura of menace that hung about him, deepened.

Alex swallowed, the breath catching in her throat.

"I'm not playing games Gene. I'm giving myself to you. I'm yours…… all yours"

"Mine? Are you sure that's what you want?" he hissed, pushing his face forward, staring down his nose at her, his eyes hard. "Think carefully about your answer Alex."

She felt a flicker of fear in her stomach, but she didn't look away from him.

"Yours" she whispered

"Good. I can do what I like with you, then", he snarled and his hand shot out, wrapping itself around the back of her neck, pulling her mouth onto his. He kissed her hard, too hard, bruising her lips as he used his teeth, biting viciously. His other hand was on her arse, grinding her hips forcefully against his. She could feel his arousal, he was hard against her. His fist tightened painfully in her hair, and she cried out.

Gene wrenched his mouth away from hers, shoving her back from him. His breath rasped in his chest and Alex saw his hands were shaking. She looked at the floor, clenching her jaw, not wanting him to see the tears of pain in her eyes, but he reached out and caught her chin, tipping her face up so he could look at her. His expression was agonized, "Jesus, Alex….. It shouldn't be like this, I didn't want it to be like this." He shook his head, like a dog, trying to clear away his anger.

She drew in a deep breath. "Lets start again, shall we" she said, softly. Despite what he'd just done, she wanted him badly, the wet heat between her legs was unbearable, the pulse there, jumping frantically in time with her heart.

He nodded, standing motionless, as she stepped forward and slipped the jacket from his shoulders, removing his tie and undoing the buttons of his shirt. Pushing it off him, careful of the livid scars that were still very much visible on his shoulder and side, she knelt in front of him, bending down to slip off his boots and his socks. She moved to the buckle of his belt and he reached out, gently stroking her hair as she undid his zip and slipped his trousers and boxer shorts off of him, exposing his hard cock."God, Gene, you are gorgeous" she breathed. She ran her fingers over him, feeling the length of him heavy and hot in her hands. Gene let out a ragged gasp and she bent her head and drew her tongue across his tip, flickering across the sensitive underside. She wrapped her lips round him, slowly pulling him into her hot mouth, and she heard him groan with pleasure. Alex felt herself grow even wetter as she continued to suck him hard, feeling him swell on her tongue. Pausing, she pulled back and licked him lightly and softly. His hips bucked in response and she wrapped her arms round his lower back, pulling her to him. As she took him deep into her mouth again, she heard him moan. His hands were in her hair, and he shuddered as her tongue moved on him. "No" his voice was hoarse, "No. Not yet." He pulled himself away from her and slipping his hands under her elbows, lifted her up the length of his body.

"My turn, now Bolly. Not yours".

He reached down and slipped his fingers inside her "Christ! You're so wet!" he whispered. He kissed her hard, walking her backwards until she hit the bed with back of her knees, falling across the mattress. He grinned down at her wolfishly, the anger gone from his eyes.

"I like your bedroom Bols. A bit too tart's boudoir for my taste, but the bed's great…."

He kissed down her collar bone to where her breasts spilled from her bra. Reaching behind her, he undid it, slipping it from her slowly, and gazed down at her. Dipping his head, he took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked slowly. She slid her hands over his back. "All those white sheets and pillows" he continued huskily "sweet & innocent", he used his teeth now, nipping hard, moving to the other breast, dragging his tongue over the raised bud of her nipple. Her nails dug into his skin.

"Are you sweet & innocent, Alex, or are you a dirty girl?" He laughed softly as she closed her eyes and moaned in response.

He moved down her body as he spoke, his hands slipping underneath her knickers, pulling them off her. He made no move to remove her stockings or suspenders. "I want to taste you Alex. I want my tongue inside you" he growled, licking at her skin, his hands everywhere. "Yes, yes… please Gene" Alex opened her eyes to watch as he moved between her thighs, running his tongue up them, just stopping short of touching her clit. His fingers teased her, dipping in and out lightly, softly. She whimpered with frustration "Please Gene" she repeated, thrusting her hips up to meet his mouth. He laughed again and moved his head away, throwing an arm across her body to stop her moving. She could feel his hot breath on her, his tongue darting and licking but never reaching her wet centre.

"Say you're sorry, Alex and I'll give you what you want." He looked up at her, his eyes dark with desire. She realized this was his way of asserting himself. That he needed to be the one in charge, regaining the control he'd come so close to losing.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. His tongue pushed, licked across her clit, once, and then was gone.

"Louder"

"I'm sorry" he licked again, holding her hips down onto the bed,

"Again"

"I'm sorry!" she shouted it now "Please Gene, I need you….Oh god!…." He put his whole mouth on her, flicking his tongue inside her, sucking at her. Alex clawed at the mattress, writhing with the spasms that wracked her whole body. Again and again he licked her, slipping his hands under the cheeks of her arse, lifting her up to meet his hot, eager mouth. She felt her whole body explode with sensation. She moaned, wordlessly in disappointment as Gene moved away from her, lifting her hips higher, and she suddenly felt his cock, hot & hard against her. He rubbed the tip across her swollen clit, once, twice and then entered her in one smooth, hard thrust. "Ohhh," Alex cried out, as she felt her herself opened up, his cock filling her.

She couldn't think of anything but the heat of him inside her. She spread her legs wider, desperate for him to be in her as high as he could be. He held her hips tightly, forcing her to keep still. She watched his face, brow twisted with concentration, his teeth gritted as he fought for control. "Oh, Jesus…. You're so tight….. so fuckin' tight."

He paused, allowing her reach her hand down and feel them, joined together, skin against skin. "I want you Alex…. I want to fuck you so much….." his voice was clipped, his breathing shallow. He held himself still, looking at her intensely, searching her face and Alex realized what he needed to hear.

"Please Gene", she reached her hand round further and stroked him, his balls were hard and tight. "Fuck me… I want you to……I need you to….._please_", she was almost sobbing with need now and she broke off with a gasp as he began to thrust into her, long, slow strokes, that set the heat in the centre of her rising again. His hands were still on her hips, controlling her movements and Alex threw her head back in the agony of not being able to push herself down onto him, to take him into her as deep as she could. She looked up at him again. His eyes blazed with passion.

"Is this what you want Alex" he asked her, panting hard

"Yes….. ohhh…. Harder…… deeper" she kept her eyes fixed on his face, seeing the triumph in his expression as he powered into her. "Like this?"

"Oh God! Yes! Again Gene, again." She screamed now, her throat hoarse. "harder….harder…."

He let go of her hips, allowing her to move freely and she pushed herself up onto her elbows, arching her back, straining to get as close to him as she could. He wrapped his arms around her and gathered her to him, kneeling up as she straddled him. He bent his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, biting hard. All the time he moved in her, relentlessly.

Alex screamed, digging her nails into his back, "Don't stop!, don't stop!... Ohhhh. I'm nearly…. Nearly…. Gene….I'm…almost…. I'm…."

His mouth found hers and she came, convulsing round him, the wetness of her flowing out of her onto his thighs. She arched back, grinding herself down onto him and Gene threw his head back, as he buried himself deep in her. She felt his whole body tense, his hands once again holding her hips tightly, as he spilled into her. "Oh God!… Jesus Christ!...Alex!... Oh…. Alex" He shook with the intensity of his climax, gathering her to him, his face in her neck.

He eased her back down on to pillows, still inside her. His eyes were closed and he was still shaking, breathing hard. Alex shuddered with aftershocks, little judders of electricity running through her. He held her close, his face in her shoulder.

He let out a deep ragged breath.

"Bolly" he whispered "Bols?"

"What"

"Earlier…. You know, when I hurt you"

She nodded

"Did I frighten you?" He looked at her now, his eyes searching her face and she knew she owed him the truth.

"Yes. Just a little"

"I'm sorry. There's no excuse"

Alex gave a small shrug. "That's ok. You realized and you stopped, that's what matters"

He held her tighter to him, and after a while reached up to touch the pendant that was still around her neck. He looked at it for a long moment.

"I thought I'd done the wrong thing, giving you this" he said his voice husky "You didn't say anything about it and I didn't want to ask you. When you let me stay, I thought you'd read my letter, but you didn't like the necklace. It never occurred to me that you hadn't seen either of them. I should have talked to you about it"

Alex kissed his mouth gently. "I love the necklace Gene, …. And I love the man who gave it to me"

He looked at her for a long time and she could see him struggling to put whatever he was thinking into words. Finally he spoke, softly

"I meant what I wrote to you, Alex, but you'll never hear me say it, don't ask me to. I've never said it out loud to anyone; it's just not the way I am." He paused, dropping his eyes, unable to meet hers. "Never wanted to say it to anyone before either, but I mean it about you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning:This chapter has virtually no plot what-so-ever. I just thought that Alex and Gene deserved a little bit of happy smuttiness. Will try and resume normal service soon.**

"Gene?", Alex clattered down the kitchen stairs, "Gene? Where are you? It was great, the paintings were wonderful….."

Alex stopped realizing that he wasn't in the kitchen and couldn't hear her. She could see him through the French windows, sitting in the garden, smoking. He had a glass of wine in other hand and he was leaning back on the garden bench, eyes staring off into space. The summer evening was warm and the daylight still lingered, even though it was late. Alex took a moment to watch him, unobserved. He was totally relaxed, his long legs stretched out, his face open, unguarded. She felt her heart twist at the sight of the man who had, against all her wildest expectations, become such an integral part of her life these last few months. She walked to the French windows and he looked up at the sound of her heels on the kitchen floor.

"You look almost civilized, sitting there with your glass of wine and your paper, very 'New Man.'" She smiled at the very ludicrous image her mind had managed to conjure up. Gene was not, and could never be, described as such - obstinate, obnoxious, sexist, infuriating, arrogant, domineering – yes. Gorgeous, sexy - absolutely, sometimes fleeting, he was even tender, but a "new man" – never. Gene could always be relied upon, to just be "Gene".

"Very What?" Gene stood up and she saw that he'd been reading Fiesta, tucked inside the Racing Post. Old habits died hard, she thought. The mental picture of the "New Domesticated Gene" slipped ever so slightly.

"Never mind. You looked lost in thought. What were you thinking about?"

"I can't remember, Bols. Anything previous thoughts I may have had have been eclipsed by the sight of your tits in that dress" The mental picture crashed to floor, and the Gene Genie was back. He was right though, she mused. Her tits did look great in her little black dress, tight and strappy with a short, flirty skirt in layers of chiffon.

"How was it then? Let me guess. Lots of knobby art critics in bow ties and posh birds called Henrietta" he said acidly, coming in from the garden. He topped up his glass and poured one for her.

"No. Only one knobby critic without a bow tie and all the girls seemed to be called Victoria. Seriously, it was fantastic, actually. Rebecca knows so many different people."

Alex gabbled as she sipped, recounting the events of the evening. She felt bubbly from all the champagne she's been drinking earlier. She'd been to a private view at a gallery in Mayfair, with her "posh tart friend" as Gene had christened Rebecca. She had the feeling that he was not entirely happy about someone else taking up any of her time, especially her evenings.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex had met her at a lunch for a cross-section of women who were tipped to reach the top of their professions. There were to be a couple of key speakers and the Super felt that it would be an excellent opportunity for her to meet people. "You know, high flyers, women like yourself." He was well aware that Alex was an excellent advert for the Met and had obviously decided that she needed to be introduced to a wider audience. Alex had agreed cautiously and a week later had found herself at the Barbican, surrounded by lawyers, doctors, accountants, a couple of merchant bankers, all of them female. It had been a little overwhelming she'd admitted to herself later on. They'd all seen her as some sort of "Action Woman". The fact she used a gun, got to drive around in fast cars and arrest dangerous criminals seemed to thrill the pants off them.

"Parts of it are very boring" she'd said, trying to play down the action side of her job, whilst talking to a research chemist, who was hanging on her every word.

"Parts of it are very difficult too, I'd imagine" a voice had added. "All those tough moral decisions to make in the blink of eye. Walking that fine line."

Alex had turned to see a tall, dark haired woman, about her own age. She was dressed in a black suit and her hair was cut into a razor sharp bob.

"I'm Rebecca Buckingham." she held out a hand and Alex shook warmly.

"Alex Drake. Pleased to meet you….. Well, you obviously know what I do, now what do you do?" she'd asked.

"I'm a defence lawyer. You could say we're on opposite sides, you and I" Alex had laughed and they'd continued chatting, finally exchanging numbers as they filled out from hearing the last speaker of the day.

Rebecca had called her at work two days later and asked her to lunch. Gene had been surprised that she was actually taking her lunch hour. They normally worked through, that way they could get home earlier and get each other into bed quicker. "You don't really mind, do you Gene? Alex had wheedled "I'll make it up to you later"

He's given her a look that had made her pulse race. "Yes, you will" was all he'd said and she'd disappeared off to meet Rebecca at a wine bar on Fetter Lane. Lunch had been very enjoyable, Rebecca was intelligent, interesting company, and Alex found it a joy to have someone to talk to who really seemed to be on her wave-length. Spending all day, and now it would seem, all night in the company of 1980's men, was all very well, but she realised that she craved some conversation that was on a slightly more intellectual level than that of her work colleagues.

Since then she'd seen Rebecca regularly, a drink after work, lunch, cinema and latterly, the private view. On each occasion, she'd had a great time but Gene's comments about the company she was keeping were becoming more and more barbed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gene listened to her tolerantly for a while, before pulling her to him, looking down at her with that look in his eyes that she'd come know so well.

"Want to know wot I think?" His hands slid round the cheeks of her arse and held her against him tight "I think, you've got a bit of a girlie crush on this Rebecca woman." He lowered his head and kissed her, his tongue pushing softly into her mouth, his teeth nipping at her gently.

"Not going all lesbo on me, are we Bolly? Next thing, you'll be looking at my girlie magazine. I've clearly been neglecting you. You've forgotten wot it's like to 'ave the Gene Genie between your thighs. You need to be reminded what a real man feels like"

They'd both been so drunk last night that for the first time since they'd been together, they'd fallen into bed and just slept, wrapped around each other. Against Alex's better judgment, they'd got involved in a drinking game at Luigi's. The rest of team had been playing and Ray had niggled away at Gene until he'd been unable to resist the challenge. The pair of them had then turned on Alex, and her over developed sense of competition had kicked in. A fact that she'd regretted the next morning when she'd woken with a cracking hangover. Gene had already left for work and had left her a note on the kitchen table. "Told you women can't take their drink. You lost and you owe Ray a fiver"" was all it had said.

Alex laughed, wriggling herself against him. "I love it when you get all manly, Mr Hunt". She reached down with a hand, feeling him hard and ready for her "Come on then, show me what I'll be missing"

He lifted her up then, walking across to the kitchen table and perching her arse on the edge. He wrapped one hand round the back of her neck and kissed her deeply again, harder this time. With the other, he pulled up the hem of her dress, slipping his fingers up the outside of her thigh. "Mmm….. stockings Bolly. Very nice." He snapped one of her suspenders against her skin, and she yelped in surprise. He laughed and did it again, moving his fingers round to her inner thigh, high enough to brush the silk of her knickers. Alex wriggled some more, trying to get his fingers closer to her. He was kissing her neck now, biting her bare shoulder. She pulled his shirt from the waist band of his trousers and began to undo the buttons, wanting to touch his bare skin. She heard him gasp as she drew her nails across his skin, gently at first, then harder.

"Too hard?" she asked teasing. "Did I hurt?"

"Nope. Barely scratched the surface. I'm a bloke Bols. I can take a bit of pain."

His mouth was moving down to collar bone, now, licking and sucking the curve of her breasts. His hand left her hair and Alex felt him slowly pull down the zip of her dress, releasing them to his hot mouth. She dug her nails into his back hard, this time, as he drew his tongue across each of her nipples in turn, nipping and sucking. Turning her head, she licked his neck and shoulder, loving the sharp, salty taste of him. She bit his neck, gently at first, then harder. She heard him growl with pleasure and then, as she bit harder still, he yelled.

"Ow!."

"Thought you could take a bit of pain" she laughed.

"I can, but I've no wish to go into work tomorrow, looking like I've been attacked by a vampire. I'm too old for love-bites"

She grinned at him through half-lidded eyes, knowing he could see just how much she wanted him. "You're not old. You're in you're prime, and you make me feel amazing every,… single,…. time we do this."

She kissed his shoulder between words, nipping at his flesh, her breath catching in her throat. His fingers were still gently teasing her, stroking her slowly. Alex moaned in frustration, and he slipped one them inside the elastic of her knickers, working slowly inside, opening her up. He flicked his thumb over her clit and she moaned again, arching her neck back, closing her eyes, concentrating on nothing but how incredible his fingers were making her feel. She was soaking; she could feel herself slick and wet as his fingers slipped in and out, working her hard.

"Is that good Bolly? Would you miss this if you changed teams?""

She opened her eyes and looked at him, challengingly. His pupils were huge, an avid look on his face as his fingers continued to stroke inside her.

"A woman could do this to me as well as you can Gene. What I want is you, in me…..now. Come on, Mr Hunt, show me exactly what I'd be missing."

She held his gaze with hers, as she reached one hand down unfastening his belt and his trousers, slipping her fingers inside his boxer shorts. She wrapped her fingers around his straining cock, squeezing gently, working the length of him in her hand. Gene groaned, bucking his hips with the rhythm of her strokes. He covered her breast with his mouth and sucked hard, his fingers working faster now. Alex felt herself begin to shake with sensations he was arousing in her. Without warning he stopped and she cried out in disappointment. He pulled himself away from her hand, and pushing her knickers to one side, he entered her in one smooth, fluid motion.

"Ohhh…, oh god" Alex arched her back, resting her hands back behind her to support her weight as Gene began to thrust into her hard and fast, grunting, biting her neck, hands on her waist holding her steady on the very edge of the table. With each thrust he pulled his cock almost out of her, making her moan with frustration.

"This what you'd miss? The feel a man inside you? Feels good doesn't it, Alex?" His voice was clipped and tight, breath coming in gasps. She leaned back even further, arching her spine, pushing herself down onto him as he thrust up into her.

"More Gene,... harder,ohhh... harder". She slammed her hips against his, feeling herself clench rhythmically round him. She was shaking now, moaning and gasping his name, spilling over him, hot and wet. She felt his grip tighten on her waist as he came, deep in her, shouting her name, the molten heat pooling inside her, his cock pulsing hard.

He moved his hands up her back, pulling her tight against him. She leaned her forehead on shoulder, licking at the few beads of sweat that ran over his collarbone, tracing the path of the scar that he would always have there. He swallowed hard, trying to return his breathing to normal.

"Hey Bols"

"What?"

"If you do go for it with this Rebecca bird, can I watch? I've always liked a bit of girl on girl"

Alex laughed weakly, still trying to recover from what he'd just done to her. "I'm never changing teams, Gene. Not when you do things like that to me"

He laughed. "Good" Slipping out her, he lifted her down from the table, and taking her hand, led her off to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Alex woke early the next morning, and went for a shower, leaving Gene to sleep a while longer. Returning to the bedroom, she glanced over at him. In sleep, his face was softer, it's harsh lines smoothed away. Much like the man himself mused Alex. Gene was subtly different at home from the person he was at the office. He was calmer, less confrontational, less guarded. Probably because she let him have his own way most of the time, but then she was different away from work too. She still made him tea in the morning and occasionally cooked for him, but she drew the line at becoming totally domesticated and had flatly refused to do any of his washing and his ironing.

"I don't even do my own ironing" she'd told him, in a tone that had left in no doubt that she would not be changing her mind about it. "There's a dry cleaners down the road. Get them to do it." Apart from her laying down the rules on on her lack of domestic intentions, it was, in all truthfulness, very sexy to let Gene be in charge. She felt safe and very feminine, two things she didn't always feel in the course of her working day.

The "psychologist" part of her mind knew that these feelings probably had everything to do with the fact that she know knew it was Gene who had taken care of her after the explosion, that he had wrapped her in his arms and made her feel safe, and that he continued to make her feel like this as an adult. She'd realized that she'd grown-up to be self-sufficient, afraid to give herself to anyone in case she lost them. She'd always been the outsider, considered an oddity because her parents were dead and she was raised by her Godfather. It had set her apart from her peers and she'd dealt with it by immersing herself in her studies, continuing that way through University and on into her working life. She was always the one on the edge of things, too afraid to let go, even in her marriage. Always had to cope on her own, be the one in charge. The other part of her, she was now discovering, the one who trusted her instincts and didn't insist on analysing everything, enjoyed having this strong, very dominant man in her life. She loved the fact that Gene was uncomplicated; that he didn't see any point in messing around. He was totally himself all the time, no games, no grey areas.

They still argued and bickered and shouted at each other both at home and work, but in the office Alex just tried to ignore his more outrageous bad moods, knowing that they'd pass and weren't always directed at her, or about their relationship. They were very careful to try and maintain a professional distance with each other at work, knowing that the rest of team had found their involvement with one another uncomfortable at first, especially Ray.

She knew things were improving that front when she'd ended up sitting with Ray in Luigi's one evening. Gene had been at the bar, messing about with Chris and Shaz. They'd all been more than a little drunk, but she'd still been surprised when Ray had nudged her on the arm and waved his pint glass in Gene's direction.

"He's different now, isn't he Ma'm? He 'as a bit more fun these days….s'like it used to be"

Alex kept quiet. Even through the fog of alcohol, she'd known that it was rare for Ray say this kind of thing "Like in the old days…before she left 'im and before Tyler died. You're good for 'im you are, Ma'm…. it's a bit weird, what wi' you being our DI 'an all, but if you can make the Guv smile like that, then I'm not complaining". He'd stopped then, slightly embarrassed and Alex had grinned at him.

"Thanks Ray".

He'd nodded briefly and taken himself off to sit with a table of giggly women who'd been glancing in his direction all evening.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Towelling her hair dry, she searched in her underwear drawer, pulling out a bra and knickers of creamy lace. Slipping them on, she looked over at Gene again. He was stirring, tousled and sleepy and in need of a shave. Very, very sexy, thought Alex, feeling a pulse start to beat between her legs.

"Get up and get dressed" she told him "we're going to be late"

His eyes widened when they saw what she was wearing.

"Are they new Bols" he asked her, his gaze resting hungrily on her. He loved to see her in nice underwear and she loved indulging this particular pleasure of his.

"Yes" she replied, walking over to him and kissing him lightly. "Get up…… we're doing that surveillance op in the park this morning"

"I'd rather survey you" he growled, pulling her down on top of him. He found her mouth with his, his tongue searching, pushing deeper. His hands roamed across her body and he moved, rolling her over and shifting his weight on top of her, kissing her with more intent now. She could feel his cock, hard against her.

"Morning Glory indeed" she thought, giggling as he reached a hand down and tugged at her knickers

"Off" he muttered "lovely though they maybe, get them off."

She wriggled out of them, knowing that she was soaking wet, the pulse beating faster now. He spread her legs gently with his, rocking his hips against her, pushing into her slowly. She ran her hands down his body, loving the feel of him against her. She locked her arms around his waist and rocked herself with him, making him go deeper into her as she tipped her hips up against his. "God Alex, you have no idea how good you make me feel….." he whispered as he bent his head to her neck, trailing his tongue along the sensitive skin below her ear. "Never felt like this…. ever." Gene groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows, his mouth moving to her breast sucking gently, pulling at her taut nipple with his teeth, through the lace of her bra. Alex reached down and pulled his head up to hers, hooking a leg around his thighs to pull him closer. The look of desire in his eyes was intense, making her tingle with pleasure, feeling her nerve endings start to crackle with electricity. They moved together, harder now.

"Oh, Oh, yes" She felt herself almost tipping over the edge, cresting, beginning to pulse hard around him "Please Gene, don't stop, oh don't stop." He watched her face as she started to come, moving in her, hot and wet, the sensation of his cock pushing into her, sending her spiralling up into white hot pleasure.

"Don't want to stop, Alex…. Ever" He held her tight, and she felt him come hard, pumping inside her. He slid himself next to her, as their breathing gradually slowed, wrapping one arm and a leg over her and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Bloody hell, Bolly" he murmured "We're good at this".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they eventually reached the office, the rest of the team were already there, waiting for them. They all cheered as she and Gene pushed open the doors.

"I hope you've been thoroughly briefed Ma'm" someone shouted. Alex rolled her eyes and bit down a smile as she took her seat. So much for maintaining a professional relationship, she thought, they all know what we've been up to. No-one usually dared comment, but they were so spectacularly late that Alex knew she and Gene deserved it.

"Very thoroughly briefed, I'd say, judging how late they are" laughed Ray.

"Oi, you lot! That's enough of that! Get on with some work. Chris, Ray, let's go over what we're doing this morning" Gene gave them all a stern look as he picked up the files he needed from his desk, but Alex saw the quick grin that flashed across his face as he turned away.

Today they were setting up a surveillance operation in the local park to try and catch a flasher who'd been behaving erratically of the last few months, harassing couples and exposing himself to female office workers. Alex began explaining why it was so important to arrest him sooner rather than later. He was starting to become aggressive and she was worried that he would progress from exposing himself to actually indecently assaulting someone.

"He's become more vocally abusive over the last few weeks, he's getting closer to his victims and is generally indulging in a higher level gratuitously lewd and indecent behaviour in a public place."

Chris looked puzzled at this last phrase and Gene rolled his eyes "He's hiding in the bushes next to courting couples and having a wank, Chris."

Gene continued, "We know who this pervert is, but we've no evidence unless we catch him in the act. Thing is, we don't know when or where he's going to be next, so we'll just have to take a chance on him there today. Chris, Ray, you're are in the car, and DI Drake and myself will be in the park. Everyone clear on what they're doing? Right. Let's get on with it then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later and nothing had happened. The park was full of office workers on their lunch breaks and there was no sign of their target. Gene and Alex had chosen a bench next to a stand of bushes, a place that they knew he'd hidden before.

"Where the bloody hell is he?" Gene fumed "He hasn't been seen all week. He must be desperate to wave his tackle at some poor cow. This is his favourite spot to have a good fiddle with himself"

"We don't look convincing enough for him" Alex was watching Ray in the car across the road, training his binoculars on the office girls "Don't worry though, DS Carling's doing quite a good job of perving, himself"

"Ray!" Gene dragged the radio from his coat pocket and barked into it. "Stop ogling those woman and pay attention!"

Alex saw their unfortunate DS jump so hard his head hit the roof of the car. She stifled a laugh.

"What do you mean we don't look convincing? We're a couple, sitting here" Gene sounded sulky now.

"We look like a couple of pensioners waiting for a bus, Gene". Aware that the others were watching them, he was sitting a good 6 inches away from her, his arm stretched awkwardly along the back of the bench.

"If that's a dig about my age, DI Drake,…... You didn't moan about it this morning"

Alex looked at him mischievously "I did moan this morning Gene" she purred "Don't you remember?"

He snorted, the pout lessening slightly.

Alex sighed, "Oh, I'm fed up this. Let's liven things up a little." She stood up suddenly and turned to face him, swinging a denim clad leg over his lap and straddling him.

"ALEX! What the hell are you doing, woman! Ray and Chris are over there!"

She shrugged, putting her mouth close to his.

"So. Don't you want to catch this guy? Relax Gene. This may work."

She kissed him deeply, seeing his eyes go wide with shock, just before she closed hers and lost herself in the pleasure of his mouth. She wriggled herself further onto his lap. If she was going to do this in the line of duty, she may as well enjoy herself. Gene held himself tense; his hands on her waist, arms braced, trying to hold her away from him.

"ALEX!" he hissed dragging his mouth away from hers "If you don't stop doing what you're doing, if he does show up, I'm going to be in no fit state to arrest him. I won't be able to stand up straight!"

Alex laughed again and rubbed herself against him, drawing a groan from him in spite of his reluctance. She felt like a naughty teenager, snogging on a park bench in the middle of the day. Except I never did this sort of thing when I was a teenager, she thought.

"Fuck it" she heard Gene mutter and he kissed her back enthusiastically, one hand in her hair now. He slipped the other inside her jacket, under her top, reaching upwards to stroke her breast through the lace of her bra. Her nipples hardened instantly under his touch and she hummed her approval into his open mouth. She could feel his full arousal now, through his trousers and her jeans. Gene was pulling her close to him, his kisses getting deeper and harder. She dragged her mouth away from his, panting, needing to tell him exactly what she wanted to do to him.

"I wish we were at home _right_ now, I want you…… so much", she whispered, her breath catching in her throat. Before she could elaborate on what she intended to do, he suddenly stood up, tipping her off his lap and she fell backwards on to the grass, opening her eyes in shock. As she watched, he lunged into the bushes beside the bench, his right arm shooting out and grabbing hold of the hair of the man who was crouched there. Gene pulled his head forward with a crack into the back of the bench and he groaned and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"You were right Bollly. That did work." He dragged the radio out again.

"Ray! Chris! We've got the scummy little toe-rag! He's out cold and his todger's out too. You'd best bring that scabby old blanket from the boot of your car. You don't want his meat and two veg flapping around as you arrest him and I'm sure neither of you will want to put his kecks back on for him."

Seeing that Ray and Chris were getting out of the car, he spoke hurriedly to them, issuing further instructions.

"It's your collar, I'm off back to the Station. Meeting with the Super" Gene switched off the radio and grabbed Alex's hand, pulling her along in the direction of his car. "You've got some explaining to do"


	13. Chapter 13

He drove through the streets at speed, with a complete disregard for any other road users. Fish-tailing around the corner and sliding the Quattro to a halt outside the main doors, Gene bundled her out of the car and up the steps. He strode down the corridor, past the interview rooms, to a store room at the end. Flinging open the door, he pulled her inside, pushing her up against the door, one hand clicking the lock shut. He lent against her, breathing hard.

"Now DI Drake" he said quietly, his mouth by her ear "You can damn well finish what you started on that bloody bench"

Alex laughed "Gene, I'm not shagging you in a store cupboard. It a total office cliché"

"Well you best do something, cos I really have got a meeting with the Super in a little while and I need to concentrate."

Alex looked at him naughtily, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Gene made a growling sound deep in chest.

"Don't you look at me like that Bolly. I'm not joking. You started this" he caught hold of her, kissing her hungrily, his hand snaking it's way back under her top as it had done in the park "I want you… now, and I'm bloody well having you." He snapped her bra open and moved his hand round to brush her breasts, her nipples becoming taut at his touch. His other hand fumbled at the button of jeans, releasing it. Alex gasped as his fingers slipped lower, finding their way between her thighs, pushing insistently inside her, making her gasp into his shoulder "Oh, Oh…."

"See Alex, you do want me, you're all wet" he purred, his fingers curling & thrusting up into her, working her. She could feel her legs beginning to shake and Gene stepped closer to her, propping her against the door with his body, whilst his fingers kept up their rhythm, in and out, stroking and curling. "More.. Oh god.. yes" Her voice rose to a moan now and he laughed, quietly "Shush…. Bolly. People might hear just how good you think being an office cliché really is." He continued move his hand, his thumb pressing against her clit, making her breath catch in her throat. She squirmed against him, knowing that she was soaking wet, knowing that he could feel how desperate she was for his touch.

He moved his head down to kiss her neck and she tipped her head sideways, "Mmm..Oh". She caught a flicker of movement to her left and realized she could see her reflection in a full-length mirror that was on the wall behind the door, left over from the days when the WPC's used this as a place to change in, until they got a proper locker room. She watched the reflection of herself and Gene in fascination, moving slightly so that she could see more. The sight was electrifying, Gene looming over her, tall & broad shouldered in his black coat, his mouth at her neck, his hands on her body. Alex felt herself begin to come as the combination of her own voyeurism and Gene's fingers inside her, made her begin to explode. She was arching against him,clenching inside, pulsing hard against his fingers, leaning into him, moaning his name into his shoulder, biting his shoulder in an effort not to cry out too loudly. He steadied her as her legs gave way, she clung to him, breathing hard "Oh God, Bloody Hell Gene…Oh"

He looked at her with a combination of wicked triumph and expectation, as she recovered.

Still shaky, Alex kissed him, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth, holding his face between her hands, moving round, so that his back was now against the door. She pulled back and looked at him.

"Your turn now" she whispered, and she heard his sharp intake of breath as she moved down to kneel in front of him. Undoing his belt and trousers, she eased them down, along with his boxers. He was hard, and ready for her. She stroked him gently, putting her mouth against his tip, licking so lightly, so delicately. He groaned, moving his legs wider, planting his feet firmly apart. She opened her mouth more, dragging her tongue across him underneath, taking him in further, so slowly that he hissed in frustration, "Fuck…Oh Christ….. ohhh".

She stopped, looking up at him wickedly. "Shush... Gene" she chided, teasingly and his hand came down to tangle in her hair.

"Don't stop Alex… please, don't stop."

"Look Gene" she whispered "You can watch." She nodded her head in the direction of the mirror and as he turned to look, she licked the underside of his swollen cock again, and then took him deep into her mouth, hungrily.

"Fucking 'ell……. Alex" Gene voice was strained and his breath came in ragged gasps with each movement of her tongue on him. She moved her head slightly, meeting his gaze in the mirror. He was transfixed at the sight of what she was doing to him.

"God almighty, that looks,...you look,... so………fucking ……good" Gene groaned. She saw him throw his head back, his free hand reaching up to hang onto the coat hooks on the back of the door, pulling himself up, thrusting his hips forward. His other hand held the back of her head, pulling her mouth onto him. She took him in, as deep as she could, sucking harder, feeling him swell and throb in her mouth. His hand tightened in her hair, and he cried out, "I'm gonna come Alex…can't…Oh Jesus."

She wrapped her arms round him, taking him as deep as she could, urging him into her mouth, and he came, spilling into her, pulsing with each hot thrust. She swallowed him down, her hands on his hips, holding him steady, feeling his body shudder. Christ, thought Alex, that's the sexiest blow job I've ever given anyone. She felt so powerful, glorifying in the knowledge that she could reduce this man to such a state, shaking and crying out in his need for her.

"Fucking 'ell Bolly. What are you trying to do to me?. I need to go and 'ave a lie down after that."

Gene felt in his pockets for his cigarettes, lighting one with shaking hands and taking a deep drag. He slid his back down the length of the door, to sit beside Alex on the floor. He grinned at her, leaning over to kiss her gently, before getting to his feet and disappearing off for his meeting. Alex waited a little while, then returned to her desk, replaying the scene in her mind many times that afternoon, seeing their reflections before her eyes. Strangely, the image that stayed with her most was that of his final kiss, the gentleness of it, the intimacy and the familiarity that one simple gesture had held.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that evening, Alex found herself back in her flirty black cocktail dress at a drinks party for the Met police and members of the legal profession within the City. She watched as Gene prowled amongst them, sombre in a black suit and shirt, his face set in a grimace of faint distaste.

"You're late" she said. She'd left him at the station whilst she'd popped home to change.

"You're lucky I'm 'ere at all. I'm only being a good boy in the hope I'll get a repeat performance of what you did to me in that store room. I 'ate do's like this. Been 'ere fifteen minutes already. Some bird tried to chat me up"

"Really? Who was she? Was she pretty?" Akex asked him, teasingly

"Christ, no! Some prize bitch of a lawyer. Pure poison. Reminded me of that other harpy, Caroline Price"

Alex started at the sound of her mother's name. She'd been dead for nearly a year now and no-one talked about her any more now the inquest had been held and a verdict reached. It disturbed her to hear the vitriolic way Gene had spoken, but she remembered sadly that there had been no love lost between the two of them when she was alive and evidently Gene still nursed the hatred he had felt for her.

"Come Bols. How long do we have to stay?" His hand slipped from her waist to the curve of her arse.

"Gene, you only just got here!"

"Yeh, but you've been 'ere for ages Bolly. You must 'ave done all your talking by now. Lets go 'ome" he leaned in to her "Come on, you know you'd rather be shagging me than talking to these old farts"

Alex giggled, about to agree, when a voice behind her made her jump.

"Alex! How nice. I wondered if you'd be here." Rebecca stood just behind them, holding a glass of champagne, watching them curiously.

Alex smiled in delight. "Rebecca! Just the person I wanted to see. You haven't met DCI Hunt yet, have you?"

"I have actually. We were talking just a minute ago. He said he had to leave to find his DI. I didn't realize he meant you." Her eyes dropped pointedly to Gene's hand on Alex's backside.

He gave her a tight, polite smile "I'll get our coats Alex. Sorry we can't stay and chat, Miss Buckingham. Police business." He gave Alex a look, daring her to disagree and disappeared into the crowd.

"Well I must say, your particular station's out in force tonight. You, your Superintendent and your DCI" Rebecca raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Alex grinned "DCI Hunt's not here in his professional capacity. He's here as my date."

"Ah, that explains the wandering hands. I thought for a minute I was watching sexual harassment at work in action"

"No. we're a couple. We've been together for some months now"

"Really? What a very interesting choice of boyfriend." Rebecca narrowed her eyes. "Tell me, how does that sit with your superiors? Your Superintendent was just telling me that you could go far in the Met, and DCI Hunt was agreeing with him. Surely that's going to be trickier if you're linked with him?"

She stopped, seeing the look on Alex's face "Oh look, I'm sorry. Don't mind me, I didn't mean to sound rude. I'm just curious to know. You fascinate me, Alex. Only female DI in the Met and all that. I'm going to be watching your career with interest." She paused "I wouldn't have thought DCI Hunt would have been your type at all. Such a clash of cultures"

Alex was just about to attempt to explain their seemingly inexplicable relationship, when Gene returned, still glowering.

"We're going Alex. They're serving those ridiculous little puff pastry things that are all air and no taste. I'm not eating that crap. I haven't eaten all day. I need real food. Let's go to Luigi's and order some his Italian rubbish. At least pasta fills you up" he turned and spoken pointedly to Rebecca "Goodbye Miss Buckingham"

He caught hold of Alex's elbow and propelled her across the room, not even giving her chance to say goodbye properly. She shook him off when they got outside.

"Gene! That wasn't very nice"

"I'm not very nice though, am I Bolly, not when I have to waste my evening talking to people like her. I suppose she's the one you've been gadding about with"

"Yes she is. What's so bad about that?" Alex was surprised at just how negatively Gene was reacting to meeting Rebecca.

"She's trouble Alex. I can feel it and if you've got any sense in that pretty little head of yours, you'll keep well away from her"


	14. Chapter 14

**Smut in this Chapter BUT it's very dominant and not very nice at one point and I just thought I'd warn you in case anyone's not particularly happy with reading stuff like that. I'm still not sure about this chapter, but I've tried writing it other ways and it just doesn't work. The charcters want to do this, not me!**

Alex stood in the stands, reading her race card and tried to work out what all the different abbreviations meant. In the end she gave up and picked horses with names she liked, a thoroughly clueless and random way of betting which she knew would make Gene sigh in frustration. He'd tried to explain the best strategies to her, but Alex had stopped listening after a while.

Windsor racecourse was crowded, everyone out in the sun, enjoying the last of the Indian summer before the autumn really set in. She'd been surprised when Gene had suggested taking the day off and going out somewhere, just the two of them.

"Where did you have in mind?" she'd asked him. It had been late and she'd got home to find him sitting on the sofa, working his way through a bottle of whisky.

"I don't bloody know. I'm from Manchester. What do I know about day trips from London!" he'd snapped at her, staring moodily out into the garden. He'd been grumpy from the minute she'd got back home from the theatre. She was surprised he was at home, the last few times she'd been out, he'd taken himself off to Luigi's with the boys, returning home after her, almost too drunk to stand.

Alex thought for a moment. "There's Brighton, I suppose." She tried to picture Gene on the Pier eating chips and candy floss and failed miserably "No, that's no good. That involves having fun" She'd smiled at him mirthlessly and Gene had snorted.

"I am fun, Bolly. Laugh-a-bloody minute me! Just not the fun you like. You've got your posh mate for that kind of thing anyway" And there it is, thought Alex. The same old problem, "Rebecca?" she'd queried.

"Yes, Rebecca. Why you need to spend so much time with that damn woman, I'll never understand."

"Lets not fight about this now" she'd pleaded.

"What would you like to do" she'd asked him, sitting down beside him and taking his hand. "Come on Gene, you choose"

"Alex, I'm not a complicated bloke. I like the pub, I like a bet and…….. I like shagging you."

He'd stubbed out his cigarette and enfolded her in his arms, pulling her close to him.

"I'm not that hard to please. I just don't like you out with that woman."

Alex had ignored his last comment. It had been too late to argue and Gene would never give her a straight answer when she asked him why he hated Rebecca so much. All he'd say was that he didn't like her, and until he could give Alex a definite reason for disliking her, she would continue to enjoy her company. She couldn't stop seeing her; it would indicate to Gene that he'd won, that he owned her totally. She hadn't surrendered herself completely to him, she was still her own person, and her friendship with Rebecca was a big part of this issue.

"Racing then? Windsor's good, I think?" she'd suggested and had seen his eyes light up, the bad mood vanished.

"Good idea, Bolly. That's a drink and a bet sorted, now what about the last thing on my list?"

He'd begun to kiss her neck, slowly and softly, pulling her across his lap. His hands gently began to undo the buttons on her shirt, slipping inside to brush lightly across her skin, barely touching her. He'd continued like this for a while longer, until Alex's shirt and bra lay on the floor beside the sofa, and she lay across his lap, waiting for him, desperate for him to touch her harder, to kiss her. Instead he'd continued to stroke her skin gently, his eyes drinking in the sight of her, an expression of longing on his face.

"How did I end up here, Alex?" he'd asked "Like this, with you?"

Alex had heard the emotion in his voice and had smiled at him.

"Some bastard shot you, remember?"

He'd laughed, and lifted her up, swinging her up easily into his arms. "Bed Alex" he'd stated, just as had done all those months ago. "I need to hold you properly." When they reached the bedroom, he'd lain her down on the bed and removed the rest of her clothes, refusing to let her help. He'd stood looking down at her, taking in every inch of her body.

"Come to bed, Gene" she'd whispered, the intensity of his gaze too much for her. The air of vulnerability about him had discomforted her; she wasn't used to seeing Gene so open, without the tough persona he usually wore.

He'd stripped off his clothes and lain down next to her, taking her face in his hands, his mouth finding hers, his tongue softly, gently tracing her lips, before dipping deeper into her mouth. Alex had felt herself began to physically ache for him, her heart racing, her breathing becoming shallow. All this from just a kiss, she'd marvelled, arching her body against his, wrapping her arms around him, running her hands down the length of his spine.

Turning her onto her side, he'd lain against her, her back against his chest. He'd reached an arm over her body, reaching for her breasts and stroking gently, his fingers softly pinching her nipples into hard peaks, sliding down her, his tongue tracing her spine, reaching the dip at the base of it. He'd moved her gently onto her stomach and spread her legs, slipping his hands under her and raising her slightly. She'd felt his hot breath on the back of her inner thighs and then his tongue, softly, so delicately she could hardly bear it, had begun to lick her, moving over her, searching for her clit, teasing, flickering across her, making her writhe with pleasure. He'd twisted round between her legs, turning her so that his head rested on her thigh, continuing to tease her, licking and sucking as she'd thrust her hips against his mouth, her hands gripping at the sheets as she began to climax, moaning his name. "Please, please Gene, I need you in me...now... so much...please".

He'd moved back up her body, pulling her onto her side again, entering her whilst she was still coming, pulsing around him. Holding her close, he'd moved in her slowly, his thrusts gradually becoming faster and harder until she was arching back against him again, feeling herself spilling over the edge for the second time, and he was gasping and urging into her "You are so beautiful Alex, …so beautiful. I…" he'd broken off, with a ragged breath, clutching her to him as he came, flooding into her, whispering her name into her neck, shuddering against her. They'd fallen asleep, locked together, Gene's arms wrapped round her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So here they were, at Windsor races, and they were actually having fun. Alex had won £7.50 on the first race and had been ecstatic about it. Gene had smiled at her indulgently as he'd watched her jump up and down as her horse swept past the post. He'd refused to tell her how much he'd won; he would collect his winnings at the end of the day, having set up a complicated system of accumulated bets.

Alex was wearing her new red shirt dress, tightly belted at the waist and her legs looked fantastic in her black high heels. She'd seen the look of pride on his face as he'd watched her walk back to him from collecting her winnings. She also knew he'd noticed the admiring glances from other men that Alex knew she was getting. He'd slipped his arm round her and kissed her possessively, a public display of ownership that he normally didn't indulge in.

She watched him now, as he strode down to the track rails, standing a good head and shoulders above most of the other men in the crowd, his long, lean legs striding down the steps. She felt a shiver of pleasure in her stomach at the knowledge that she was his, that he was sharing her bed, sharing her life. She saw him stop to buy more cigars from one of the cigarette girl's trays, watching as the girl looked up at him, her eyes wide in appreciation of the Genie's charm.

We're good together, Alex realised. So why was she making him unhappy by continuing to be friends with Rebecca? She found it hard to explain even to herself, but there was a part of her that needed the friendship. Needed the conversation, the similar background and shared points of reference. It helped her to remember who and what she was. Where she was from. It would be all too easy to immerse herself completely in Gene's world and she needed this one tenuous link to her previous life. It was something she could never explain to him and she knew that her inability to do so and her refusal to stop seeing Rebecca made Gene as unhappy as she was with his instant and unexplained dislike of her.

As she glanced around the racecourse, she looked up at the rows of boxes to her right. Gene had been scathing about the people who took a box at a race meeting. "It's not really proper racing is it?" he'd said sneeringly "Up there away from it all, drinking champagne and talking bollocks." Now as she looked harder, she could see a woman waving at her from one of the lower balconies.

"Alex! Alex!" She walked closer "I thought it was you! What an earth are you doing down there darling! Come up and have some champagne!" Rebecca lent perilously over the railing of the balcony, clearly she'd had a little too much champagne herself. Alex hesitated for a second. Today of all days this was last thing she needed.

"Rebecca, I'd love to, but…I'm with Gene and he won't want….." Alex stopped, unable to say that he'd refuse point blank to go up and join them.

"Oh don't mind him darling! Bloody men always telling us what to do…. Come and have a drink!"

"Bloody men indeed!" Alex laughed.

She turned round to see where Gene was and he was there, standing right behind her. His face was blank, eyes hooded. "Well, go on then, darling" he mimicked "there is champagne after all. How can you resist?"

Anger suddenly flared in her. He'd instantly assumed that she would prefer to be with Rebecca than him. All she wanted was the chance for the two of them to meet for a second time, for Gene to maybe revise his opinion of her friend, but it abundantly clear that this wasn't going to happen. Well, bugger him, she thought, I'll go and have one bloody glass.

"Are you sure you'll let me, Gene? Will my leash stretch that far?"

He leaned into her "It's your choice Alex. I wouldn't want to be one of those 'bloody men always telling you wot to do'" He watched her intently.

She looked down, trying to calm herself, aware that Rebecca was still watching from the balcony "Gene, please, you're being very rude and it's really not nice. Just come up and have one glass."

He'd smiled humourlessly and looked away from her, staring out across the crowd "Not my style, Bolly. Anyway I've got bets to place"

"Gene, please come up with me. Leave the bets. Don't you think you've spent enough money today? How much have you lost already?"

He took a pace back, looking down his nose at her, and Alex saw his face, cold and distant now.

"You're not my Mam, Alex and you're certainly not my wife, so don't start nagging like them. It doesn't suit you. I'll see you back 'ere after the last race."

He turned and walked away, leaving her alone, smarting from the sting of his rebuke. Shit, thought Alex, but she wasn't going to go after him. Far better to leave him to calm down. Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile onto her face, she walked upstairs to meet Rebecca.

An hour and half later, she was back downstairs, giggly from champagne, the argument with Gene blurry and fuzzy round the edges of her memory. She looked up and saw him leaning against the rails of the winner's enclosure, counting an enormous roll of notes, a satisfied smile on his face. Catching sight of her, he came over, just as Rebecca and her party came down the stairs.

"Ah, DCI Hunt, how lovely. We were all just about to catch the boat up the river into Windsor and have some supper, weren't we Alex?" Alex floundered, her brain foggy, she'd agreed no such thing, she was certain of that. "You appear to have had a run of good luck" continued Rebecca, indicating to the wad of money in Gene's hand.

Gene looked at her, his face contemptuous.

"Racing's not about luck, luv" he said, his accent even more marked than usual "It's like life. It's about judgement of character. You've got to be able to see through all the glitz and the glamour," his eyes flicked over her, emphasizing his words, "right into the heart of the beast." He turned away and gave Alex an ice-cold look.

"Have _fun_, Alex. I'm off back to Luigi's. The boys will be there by now."

Alex let him go, although what she really wanted to do was go after him and tell him she was sorry, that she'd never had any intention of going into Windsor with them, but her pride prevented her from doing so. He'd walked out on her twice in one afternoon and she wasn't going to crawl after him like a good little girl. Instead she waited until Gene was out of sight, then made her excuses to Rebecca and left. She took the train home, it took far longer than she'd expected and by the time she reached Luigi's, it was late. She'd intended to join Gene for a drink, apologise, and take him home to bed to show him exactly how sorry she was, but when she walked into the bar, he was nowhere to be seen. Only Chris and Shaz were left sitting at a corner table.

"Shaz, have you seen the Guv?" she asked "he said he was coming in here for a drink.

Shaz looked shifty "No Ma'm. I've not seen him for a while"

Alex knew that something was wrong. She looked over at Chris who was drunk and sleepy by now.

"Chris!" she snapped" Where's the Guv gone?"

"Royal Oak" stammered Chris, his brain not able to keep his mouth shut "He took Ray with him"

"Why didn't you tell me that, Shaz?" she asked slightly hurt.

Shaz looked even more uncomfortable "It's a proper blokes pub, Ma'm. Girls and stuff. More like a club really. It's not nice. Please Ma'm, just go home to bed. He'll be back later. He was really drunk when he left here."

Alex shook her head "Sorry Shaz. I can't just go home to bed. I have to find him."

She ordered a double vodka from Luigi for Dutch Courage and left to find a taxi.

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The Royal Oak pub was as nasty as Alex had imagined it would be, set in a grotty back street in one of the worse areas of the old docks. The "girls and stuff" of Shaz's description turned out to be strippers. "Private dancers a speciality" the poster outside announced. The taxi driver had been extremely reluctant to take her there, until she'd shown him her warrant card. Even then, he'd dropped her off with a warning that it was no place for a nice girl such as herself to be walking into on her own.

Alex squared her shoulders, and taking a deep breath, pulled open the door. She found herself in an entrance lobby, dirty and dusty. There was nothing in it but a table, behind which sat a heavy made-up woman in her fifties waiting to take the £5 entrance fee. Next to her stood an enormous shaven-headed man, squeezed into a suit a size too small for him. They both stared at her impassively, the woman holding out her hand for Alex's money. She paid and they indicated for her to go through.

Alex stepped through the faded red velvet curtains that were pulled across the archway at the other end of the lobby. The music filled her head, loud and sleazy. Pausing to let her eyes adjust to the gloom and the smoke, she was able to make out that she stood in what was the main bar of the pub. The bar itself ran along the longest side of the room, mirrored by the low stage runway that projected out from the left hand wall, into the middle of it. This was surrounded by chairs and tables, most of which, by this time of the evening, were full of punters gazing up at a girl as she danced.

Alex saw Gene and Ray at once. They were sat over to the left, in the right-angle made by the stage and the runway part of it. Ray had his hand on the arse of a well-endowed blonde, who was leaning over and whispering in his ear. Gene had a pretty, elfin brunette on his lap and was handing a £10 note to what could have been the twin of the girl talking to Ray. The girls were dressed in nothing but sparkly, sequinned G-Strings. Gene's tie was loose and his shirt unbuttoned halfway. He was leaning back in his chair, totally relaxed, and very drunk. King of the bloody jungle, she thought bitterly, and doesn't he just know it.

Neither Gene nor Ray spotted Alex as she made her way across the room to the bar. The other punters did however and a few of them wolf-whistled in appreciation. She looked neither right nor left, reaching the bar and ordering herself a vodka. She leaned against the bar directly across the other side of the stage from Gene's table and waited for him to notice her.

She had no clear plan what she was going to do when he did. It wasn't that she objected to him visiting this kind of place, he was a bloke after all and places like this came with the territory with a man like Gene. It was the fact that he was here after having so publicly rejected her that rankled. That he was evidently intent on spending all his day's winnings on women and drink. Alex felt the anger begin to slow burn inside her as she threw the vodka down her neck and slammed the glass back on the bar. She nodded at the barman and he filled it up wordlessly.

"Look out lads, that one's feisty" came a shout from further down the bar. Gene must have heard the shout, for he looked up, straight at her. Alex saw his face freeze. Raising her glass at him in mock salute, she knocked back the second shot of vodka. He remained motionless, staring at her and then as the music changed, he said something to the blonde at his side and she walked away. Alex saw her some moments later, dressed in a costume now, climbing up the steps to the stage and beginning to dance. Gene continued to stare at Alex, the brunette still sitting on his lap seemingly unaware of what was happening.

Ray hadn't even noticed her; he was too transfixed by his busty blonde. Gene turned his gaze from Alex and focused it on the dancing girl, watching apparently riveted, as she slowly peeled of her costume. He stood up when she was almost naked, tipping the brunette off his lap unceremoniously, reaching forward to tuck another tenner into her G-string as she danced.

Alex had, by this time, politely declined the advances of four men in various stages of inebriation, and was determinedly ignoring the fifth who was going to be more of a problem. Roughly handsome, he was obviously a man who didn't give up, convinced that no woman was seriously going to turn him down. The drink he'd bought her sat on the bar getting warm. Alex knew better than to drink it. That would indicate there was some form of contract between them and she was fully aware of what that would entail.

She continued to stare at Gene, who in turn continued to ignore her and drink whisky at a rate of knots. Four or five dancers later, Alex was drunk and the anger was still roiling in her stomach. The brunette had returned to Gene's lap and had remained there throughout all this time and now he whispered into her ear, passing her a handful of notes. She nodded and standing up began to give him a private dance, winding herself slowly and sensuously around him. The days of looking but not touching are a long off thought Alex, as she watched his hand stroke her thigh, moving her closer to him. She bent over, her breasts inches from his mouth, then turning she arched her back and slowly swung her hips back and out, grinding to the beat of the music. Gene ran a hand down her spine and over her buttocks, staring over at Alex, his face set and defiant. As the girl turned back to him, he nodded and she straightened up and began to walk slowly round the bar.

The other punters watched expectantly. This wasn't the norm on a Friday night. The brunette reached Alex and began to dance in front of her, the same moves she'd used when she'd danced for Gene. Alex glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow sardonically. She read the challenge in the set of his head, his folded arms. He obviously expected Alex to be embarrassed, uncomfortable with what was happening. Well sod him, Alex thought smiling inwardly, lipstick lesbianism's perfectly acceptable in my time. Alex looked into the girls face and saw nothing but sorrow and apology. So she does know what's going on, she realised.

Alex smiled at her, a soft private smile, willing the girl to see the forgiveness that she was offering. She reached into her handbag and drew out a £20 note. The girl's eyes widened as Alex tucked it delicately into her G-String and she smiled. Alex grinned back, the vodka and the anger making her reckless now. The girl bent forward, her breasts brushing Alex's as she danced and Alex saw the question in her eyes. Alex nodded slightly and, slipping her hand round the girl's neck, she kissed her, full on her mouth. She felt soft, so different from a man's lips and her tongue when it pushed into Alex's mouth, was delicate and sweet, tasting unexpectedly of strawberries. Alex closed her eyes and lost herself in the strangeness of her mouth, a part of her heart aching at the unexpected tenderness of it.

The men in the pub roared in delight, as one. This definitely did not happen on your normal Friday night! They bayed their approval and then groaned their disappointment as Alex and the dancer pulled slowly away from each other. Alex saw her flick a "fuck-you" glance at Gene as she made her way along the bar, turning as she went through the door at the end, to blow Alex a kiss. When Alex turned back, his chair was empty. All she could see was Ray, staring at her open-mouthed. A second later, Gene pushed his way through the crowd of men who'd gathered round and stopped in front her. He radiated fury, almost incoherent with rage.

"That's enough Alex. Go home!" He spoke in a furious hiss, teeth clenched.

She looked at him, the vodka-induced courage running through her veins like fire, her face haughty.

"You let me off the leash, Gene. I can do what I like"

"Go home Alex".

The man at the bar began to interrupt, grasping Gene by one shoulder.

"Hey! I've bought her a drink, so you can fuck-off, mate. If she's going anywhere, it's with me"

Gene didn't even look at him as turned and sank his fist hard into the man's stomach. As he doubled over in pain, Gene punched him hard in the face, twice, jabbing his elbow into the side of his head as he fell, for good measure. The shaven-headed man from lobby made his way hurriedly across the room, dragging up the fallen man by the collar.

"Trouble Mr Hunt?" he asked.

"None that I can't deal with" Gene replied acidly, his eyes never leaving Alex's. She could see the tension in his whole body, his hands clenched onto fists.

He waited until the unconscious man had been dragged away and then as Alex reached for another vodka, he grabbed her wrist. "No more!"

She snapped her arm down sharply as she'd been taught to, shaking him off. His eyes widened in surprise as she took the glass and drained it, banging back onto the bar. "Make me stop, Gene!" she hissed back at him, her gaze burning with challenge.

"Right! Outside……NOW!" he spat the words at her, grabbing her firmly by the wrist and elbow, twisting her arm up her back, forcing her to walk with him. He marched her through the door where the dancing girls had gone, through a dingy back hall and out of a door that led into a narrow alley at the side of the building. He pushed her away from him roughly and stood, blocking her exit.

"What the fucking hell do think you are playing at?" he roared.

"I could ask you the same question, Gene" she spat back at him.

"I'm enjoying MY evening. I'm HAVING FUN, Alex! Didn't think you'd mind, seeing as how you were off having your sort of fun with those posh bastards you call friends!"

"Having fun! I don't call paying some common little trollop money to wave her arse in your face, fun!"

"You wouldn't, would you! Be very careful, luv .You're reverting to type. A posh, stuck up, toffee-nosed bitch" Gene thrust his face into hers, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Alex returned the gesture, her face inches from his. "But you like that, Gene, don't you. You like the fact that some posh, toffee-nosed bitch lets you shag her senselessly every night. Makes you feel like a man. Would you rather I was one of the girls in there, Gene? That I behaved like they do? That I had fun your way." Her voice was cold and hard and the anger within was at boiling point now.

"Well, let's have fun you way, shall we. Let's complete your list." She ticked the points off on her fingers, shaking with anger. "You like a drink – well, you've certainly had enough of those this evening. You like a bet – you've done that today as well, won more than enough money to pay those tarts to dance." She paused, her voice dripping with sarcasm."Now what's left? Oh yes – the shag!". She was shouting now "Well, come on then, Gene. Which one us are you going to choose? A word of advice. The girls in there expect to be paid. Me, I'm stupid enough to let you fuck me for free!"

He'd not moved since she begun to speak, his face livid with anger, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to contain himself. Now he moved, slamming her forward against the wall, his hand holding both her wrists behind her back, the other in hair, pulling her head back.

"Not true, Alex," he snarled. "You make me pay in ways you'll never understand".

His hand left her hair, pulling up her dress, reaching up, roughly, fingers pushing into her. He leaned his whole weight against her and she felt the skin of her cheek catch against the rough brickwork of the wall. She clenched her teeth together, refusing to cry out, realizing that despite what he was doing, despite the anger and the force, she was so aroused she was shaking, soaking wet. His fingers flexed once, twice and she moaned with need, unable to stop herself. She struggled against him, trying to turn round to face him and he moved slightly to let her, taking his fingers from her.

She managed to free her right arm and brought her hand up hard across his cheek. The sound of the slap echoed of the walls of the alley. For a moment neither of them moved. Alex stared at Gene; she could see both the fury and the desire in his eyes, knowing he would see the same in hers. Reaching for her at the same time as she moved towards him, he kissed her roughly, viciously, his hand grabbing at her chin, forcing her head up. His other hand fumbled at the zip of his trousers and she raised her leg up, wrapping it round his hip. He thrust into her roughly, grunting through gritted teeth, not stopping for her to adjust to him. She bit back a howl and tangled her hands in his hair, pulling it hard, wanting to hurt him.

He slammed into her, her shoulders forced back against the wall. Alex heard the material of her dress rip as it caught on the bricks as her skin had. She kissed him back just as viciously, biting at him, moaning into his open mouth, not caring who heard her. Harder and harder he thrust into her, making no other sound other than to groan out his anger and his pleasure. He put both hands under her arse, almost lifting her right off the ground, pushing himself further into her as he did so, as deep as he could get.

Alex felt high on the sheer baseness of it all, the fact that she was fucking in an alley like a whore. She felt herself beginning climax, throwing her head back and arching against him, her hands in his hair. She lent forward and bit his neck hard, as she shook with orgasm, making him shout in pain.

"You bitch!"

She felt him tense his whole body, heard him groan agonizingly as he came, pumping into her hard, his legs shaking with the effort of pushing up into her. He remained where he was for a second, panting, before letting her leg down. He pulled away from her, running a hand through his hair, not looking at her.

"Wait there. I'll find a taxi". He was gone before she could speak, and she leant against the wall weakly, shaking with emotion. A moment later, he appeared at the entrance to the alley,

"Come on" he said brusquely.

Alex straightened up slowly and as she walked past the side door of pub, it swung open. The girl she'd kissed stood there, and Alex passed, she reached out her hand and gently brushed her grazed cheek. Alex saw the question in her eyes, a different one this time.

"I'm fine" she said "I'm fine; it's not what you think."

The girl shrugged and smiled sadly at her, before stepping back inside.

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Neither of them spoke for the whole journey home, they sat apart, lost in their own thoughts. When they got into the house, Alex went straight upstairs to shower. She left her dress on the landing. It was ruined, the back of it ripped and ragged.

When she came out of the bathroom, Gene was standing there, holding it in his hands. He looked up, his face stricken, hardly able to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry Alex." His eyes rested on her grazed cheek. "I did that. Christ, I'm so sorry." He reached out a hand, stopping just short of touching her. "I treated you like a whore." He moved past her. "I'll sleep up in the spare room tonight"

Alex caught his arm.

"You treated me as I wanted to be treated at the time. I have a voice. I could have said no. I didn't though, did I?" She placed a hand on his cheek. "I know enough tricks to have stopped you. I didn't want to. Didn't bargain on this though." She touched the graze and winced. "We were both angry and we'd both had too much to drink." She traced the livid bite mark on his neck. "I hurt you too. Come to bed. Please" she held out her hand and he took it, following her to bed.

They both lay awake for a long time, in silence, holding each other tightly.


	15. Chapter 15

The invitation had arrived in the post that morning; 4 days after Alex had seen Rebecca at the races, inviting her to a drinks party at her house that Friday.

'Please come, Alex', she'd scrawled on the back of it 'There will people there that it would be fantastic for you to meet. Bring that rather rude DCI of yours too, if you must, but do try and stop him from frightening the other guests.'

Alex scanned the invite briefly and put it to the back of the bunch of letters she was holding. She would think about later, she told herself. Right now she and Gene needed to be leaving for the station. She heard his footsteps on the stairs and he appeared, doing up his tie, his jacket slung over his arm.

"Come on, Bols. We need to get a move on". He grabbed the slice of toast that Alex had left for him, picking up his car keys from the table. "Now, Alex!" Deciding to take her post to work to read later, she followed him out to the car.

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Picking up the invite again as she sipped her mid morning mug of tea, she stared at it, still undecided about what to do. Dropping it back onto a stack of files, she knew without a doubt it would be very unwise to mention it to Gene. The fallout of what had happened at the races was still too fresh in her mind. She hadn't seen Rebecca since, the anger that she'd induced in Gene had been frightening.

Thinking back over it all, as she'd lain in bed, unable to sleep, she remembered that Gene had been right about one thing. Rebecca was almost exactly like her mother, was as near to Caroline Price as Alex would ever get again and this was almost certainly the reason that she felt this inexplicable attraction to her. She yearned to have that connection, however tenuous, and as Caroline was dead, Rebecca Buckingham was her substitute.

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Gene swept past her desk on his way back from the Super's office. He looked tense and unhappy with dark shadows under his eyes. No change there, then, she thought. He'd been like it ever since their fight at the Royal Oak. Try as they might to be normal with each other, there was an underlying air of tension and sorrow. The Monday morning had been the worst. Thanks to Ray, the whole of the office were aware that Alex had gone to a strip club and kissed one of the girls. Alex had caught the tail end of the conversation as she'd returned from making tea.

"…proper tongues an' all, very sexy. I'd of paid good money to watch for a bit longer. The Guv went ballistic…."

Seeing her back at her desk, they'd all melted away, but Alex was aware of the looks that they'd given her for the rest of the day.

Gene had hardly spoken to her, immersing himself in work and spending the evening glued to the TV. It wasn't that he was angry with her, he treated her at all times with a careful politeness; rather that he seemed to have withdrawn from her. They'd slept in the same bed together as they always did, but he'd been reluctant to touch her, waiting for her to initiate contact. She'd tried to but one the one occasion that they'd actually made love, it had been a curiously lonely experience for Alex. Gene had done all the right things to her, kissing and stroking her, moving hard inside her, making her cry his name as she came, leaving her shaken and spent, tingling with tiny aftershocks, but he'd been different, closed off from her, as though holding himself back. The openness and intimacy that had existed between them was gone, and as she'd curled herself up on her side of the bed, and Gene had done the same on his, there had been tears running silently down her cheeks.

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Gene stopped and turned back to her desk, picking up the invitation and taking it with him, into his office. Shit, grimaced Alex, I should have hidden it. She had no idea what she was going to say if he asked her if she intended to go to the party. She knew that part of her really wanted to go, in spite of everything, in spite of knowing in her heart that she would have to say no.

Rebecca lived in Highgate, a couple of streets away from Tim & Caroline's old house, and Alex wanted desperately to recapture the memories of her childhood, the parties that she's glimpsed as a girl, sitting on the stairs, watching the grown-ups through the banisters. There would be similar mix of guests, lawyers, university lecturers, psychologists, people she ached to mix with, just for a little while. She also knew that it would be the worst thing she could do tell Gene this, to let him know how much she wanted to be there. She had to make a choice and there was no contest. Gene was far more important than a party.

A minute later, she heard him clear his throat expectantly. He was standing at the door, "DI Drake, can I have a word?" He indicated for her to come in and went and sat back down at his desk. She stepped in and closed the door, leaning against it. She knew if she turned round, she would see Ray, pretending to read, whilst desperately trying to work out what was going on between them.

"You going to this do, then?" he tapped the invite on his desk, watching for her reaction.

She shrugged "Haven't really thought about it, but I don't think so" she replied casually, trying not to look bothered about it. I have to ask him this she thought, even if it makes him shout. I need to know why Rebecca is such a problem to him. I need to know why I have to give up this friendship.

"Why do you hate Rebecca so much? I've asked you before and you never give me a straight answer. Have you slept with her Gene? If you have, it's not a problem. We've both have a past, after all. I'd rather know, to be honest." She moved round his office, looking out of the window as she spoke. "Please, Gene, just be honest with me"

He sighed deeply. "I haven't slept with her Alex. Wouldn't touch her wi' a barge pole. Before I met her at that drinks do with you the other week, I'd only seen her once before. I knew I'd met her before, but I didn't recognize her at first, different haircut, different surname. I knew I didn't like her, but it took me a while to work why."

"She got divorced last year" offered Alex "She used to be Rebecca North. She went back to Buckingham went the papers were finalized."

"That's her, Rebecca North."

"But what's she done that makes you hate her so much. It can't just be because she's a 'posh tart'. Even you can't be as judgemental as that, can you?" Alex was mystified by his attitude.

"I'll admit at first, I was just pissed off because you were out having fun with someone else and not spending time wi' me. I wanted you to myself all the time. She took you away from me, introduced you to different people. I got worried." It was his turn to shrug now.

"It's a bloke thing Bolly. Stupid, I know, but that's how I feel. When I realized who she was, how I knew her, there wasn't any point in telling you. You wouldn't have listened to me by that time anyway………." He shook his head, reaching into his desk drawer and taking out the bottle of single malt he kept there. Alex fetched two glasses and he poured them both a measure.

"I'll tell the whole sorry story and you can make up your own mind about it all. When I first transferred down from Manchester, only been here a few weeks, a young girl came to the station to report a rape. I interviewed her. Eva Brooks, 19, a waitress in a restaurant up in the West End. Nice girl, lived at home wi' her parents. She'd been to a leaving do at work. One of the other girls was leaving and the owner had let them all have a few drinks there after hours. He offered Eva a lift home, and she said yes. Nothing more to it than that on her part. Just a nice, naïve girl saying yes when her charming, much older boss, offers to drive her home. See where this is going Bolly? She didn't think to question why he'd drive miles out of his way to drop her off in Whitechapel, when he lived in North London. Long story short, he stops the car in a back street near the docks and rapes her. It's not just a kiss and cuddle gone too far, its rape. Brutal, messy and damage done. Took her just over two weeks to find the courage come in and talk to us."

He looked up at her to see her reaction. She turned away from the window and slid down the wall to sit on the floor, next to his chair. She felt exhausted and her head hurt.

Gene looked at her with a trace of a grin, despite his sour mood "Don't do that Bolly, You're gonna give Ray a heart attack trying to see wot you're up to down there"

She rolled her eyes and stood up, walking to the door and flinging it open. Ray was hurriedly sitting down at his desk, picking up his newspaper.

"If I was going to do something naughty in DCI Hunt's office Ray, which by the way, I'm not, do you not think I'd have put the blinds down first? For God's sake, just get on with some bloody work!" She glared at him furiously and banged the door shut again. "It's like dealing with bloody children" she muttered to herself, sitting back down "Sorry Gene, carry on"

"You go ahead, Bolly. Don't mind me. They need a good slap now, and then, when they get out of hand" he joked, the smile freezing on his face as he thought about what he'd just said. She gave him a small smile in return and stretched out a hand to touch his knee, to let him know she didn't mind.

He swung his legs away before she could reach them, up onto the desk and leaned back in chair "Right, where was I? Oh yes, Eva Brooks. The owner of the restaurant was a man named Harry Waltham. When I pulled his records, apart from the basic facts on the man, all there was in the file was a notice that every allegation made against him had to be passed on to a DCI Norton, up at Kings Cross. I went to meet him, to talk to him about Eva."

Turns out, Harry Waltham is a very nasty piece of work. Not only does he have a very expensive restaurant and nightclub in the West End, he also owns a casino and nightclub in King's Cross. Slightly less posh, this one. There's almost certainly a brothel operating on the upper floors and all sorts of illegal deals are done in the casino, by the very dodgy punters that he encourages to visit. Our Mr. Waltham has his fingers in some very nasty pies – prozzies, drugs, porn. You name it, he supplies it. Norton had been trying to bring him down for three years, but Waltham's clever. He's not your usual criminal. He's a good boy gone very bad; educated at one the better public schools; he's got family money, good connections. Nothing sticks, he makes sure of that."

"DCI Norton was of the opinion that Eva had had a lucky escape. If you can call being viciously raped, lucky." Gene closed his eyes and grimaced at the memory. "He was convinced that Waltham was behind the disappearance of at least 5 prozzies that year alone. God knows what happened to them, we've never found any trace of their bodies. He knew of a dozen or more working girls who'd been on the receiving end of Harry's particular brand of charm, and lived to tell the tale, but none of them were prepared to testify against him. One of them he damaged so badly, she's in a psychiatric unit now, lost her mind."

"Eva was Norton's chance to send Harry Waltham down. She'd told me that she'd managed to scratch his face as he'd attacked her. When Norton went to interview him, he had scratch marks on his cheek that corresponded with Eva's description of where she'd injured him. Norton talked me into persuading Eva to go to court."

"Waltham laughed it all off. Hired himself a lawyer – Rebecca North. Turns out their fathers are good friends. She defended Waltham and she destroyed Eva Brooks on the witness stand, just for fun. Twisted every word she said in court, made her look like some silly little tart out for all she could get. She didn't have to do that. She would have got a not guilty verdict without any of the nastiness she inflicted on that poor girl. Who's the jury going to believe, Alex? Harry Waltham, charming, well-spoken, ex-public school boy, or Eva Brooks, who they now all think is a conniving little East End tart, pissed off at a one night stand with her boss."

"What about her physical injuries?" asked Alex. "Surely they would have been mentioned in court"

"They were, but she waited over two weeks before coming into report the attack." Gene shook his head "The body heals itself quickly. It was too long a wait for the physical injuries to be presented as really convincing evidence. Rebecca North did her job well, she put such doubt into the minds of the jury, that couldn't fail to return the verdict she wanted. Harry Waltham walked. He laughed at her Alex, right there in court. I'd gone to give evidence. I watched him laugh at her, and afterwards Rebecca North and Harry Waltham went to his restaurant and drank champagne to celebrate"

He looked down at his desk, his face grim, swirling the whisky round and round in his glass.

"Eva Brooks went home and hanged herself in her bedroom." He looked up at her bleakly.

"That's why I hate her. That woman was just as responsible for Eva's death as Waltham was. It was all a game, Eva as a person meant nothing to her. I'm to blame too. I let Eva down. It was me who said she should press charges. We thought we could get Waltham and we took a risk. Truth was we knew Eva wouldn't be a good witness in court, too shy, easily intimidated. DCI Norton took early retirement. The whole thing destroyed him."

He paused, looking at her properly for the first time in days. "Not a pretty story. One that doesn't make me feel very proud of myself."

Topping up his glass, he continued "So now you know. But it's my problem, and I shouldn't have made it yours."

Staring into the depths of his drink; he spoke quietly "About this party. I know you want to go.…. so we'll go. I owe you that much at least for my behaviour the other weekend. I'll do my best to be a good boy." He remained where he was, waiting for her to answer.

Alex was nonplussed at his change of heart. She didn't quite understand why he'd do such a thing. Was it really to make up for what he'd done? He didn't need to, she'd behaved badly too, fuelled the argument. Surely he knew that?

What he'd just told her was more than enough reason for him to feel the way he did about Rebecca. Gene was a very passionate man; he'd taken Eva's case very personally. She wasn't sure how she felt about what he'd just told her. Certainly Rebecca didn't come out of it well, but hadn't her own parents done similar things? Defended clients, no matter what they felt on a personal level. That was their job after all, wasn't it? she reasoned. Maybe she would get a chance to ask her about it at the party, there were two sides to every story, maybe Rebecca didn't know the whole truth about Harry Waltham.

Alex's head ached with trying to analyse it all. She's been sleeping really badly that past week, missing the feeling of Gene's arms around her. How could you share a bed with someone you loved and yet feel so lonely? she wondered sadly. Returning to her desk, she tried in vain to concentrate on the reports she was supposed to be writing. By three o'clock, the headache was turning into a migraine and Gene insisted that she go home. He helped her into the car and drove her home carefully. He made sure she was settled, undressing her gently and helping her into bed, fetching her a glass of water and some aspirin. Even through the fog of pain, Alex knew this wasn't normal behaviour for him. "Are you OK Gene?" she asked "You don't have to stay with me you know."

"I want to. I want to take care of you" he smiled at her, sadly it seemed to her, but the pain behind her eyes was too much for her to try and think about anything else and she soon slept. The migraine lasted all the next day and on Thursday morning, although she felt better and had gone to the station with him, Gene was adamant that she was only working for the morning.

"We're going up West this afternoon, Bolly. Get you a new dress for this party tomorrow."

Privately, she still wasn't convinced that going to Rebecca's party was a good idea, but when she'd told him that she didn't really need a new dress, he insisted

"Please Alex. I want you to look beautiful. I owe you a dress anyway." He'd dropped his gaze from hers, clearly uncomfortable in acknowledging what had happened to the last new one she'd bought.

Alex had shrugged, awkwardly "OK. You're sure? About the dress and the party?" He was making such an effort; it would seem churlish to tell him she still wasn't sure if they should even go. He'd nodded brusquely and she'd taken herself off to talk to Shaz and Chris, who were sorting out witness statements for an arson attack on a local off-licence.

"Half day Ma'm?" asked Shaz "What's the occasion?"

"DCI Hunt's taking me shopping for a party dress" she said, not realizing that the office was fairly quiet for once, and her voice carried to the rest of them, scattered around the room.

At 12 o'clock, Gene emerged from his office, shrugging himself into his coat. He looked around, aware that the rest of the team were all staring at him strangely.

"Wot?" he snapped, uncomfortable suddenly at their interest in him

"Are you really going shopping, Guv?" asked Ray cautiously "Wi' a bird…, I mean……, DI Drake. For dresses and stuff"

Alex stood very still by the double doors, not sure how Gene was going to react to this line of questioning. He flicked a quick glance at her and she shrugged, ruefully.

Gene looked at the floor, pouting. He let out a deep breath "Right" he said, looking up challengingly "Just to make this absolutely clear, I am _not_ going shopping for dresses. DI Drake is. I am merely going to accompany her. I will then stand in the middle of the shop, looking bad-tempered and feeling uncomfortable, dying for a smoke, whilst DI Drake agonizes over which unbelievably over-priced garment to wear. When she's made her choice, my role in the whole ridiculous pantomime will begin and end with me paying for the damn thing. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Guv!" they all chorused.

Alex grinned at Gene, feeling the strange mood of the last week, lift a little. He held open the door for her and then offered her his arm. They left the station hand in hand.


	16. Chapter 16

**The song mentioned at the end of the chapter was released in early 1981. I heard it the other day and knew I had to use it in the end scene. Some of the lyrics could have been written just for them. **

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, as he came down the stairs. She knew he looked good in a suit but, Gene Hunt was a vision in his new dinner jacket. Her eyes widened in appreciation of just how gorgeous he looked. Well, he would if he'd just stop looking so bloody grumpy, thought Alex.

He stopped when he caught sight of her, gazing at her, his eyes drinking in every detail. Her new dress had cost a fortune, but the minute she'd tried it on, she'd known it was the one for her. She'd refused to show it to him in the shop, staying in the changing room, wanting to save it until tonight.

Made of sea green silk that flowed and rippled around her body like water, it shone iridescently as it caught the light. The top was strapless, hugging her tightly, the material of the bodice gathered on her right hip in a Grecian knot, the skirt flowing down asymmetrically to the floor, revealing her legs as she walked. She'd pinned up her hair, letting a few loose curls trail round her face and neck. At her throat, as always, was the heart pendant, the diamond shimmering. He said nothing, just walked across to her and kissed her, slowly and surprising tenderly. The look in his eyes said everything. She smiled up at him, suddenly shy. The doorbell rang suddenly and Alex heard the sound a black cab's engine outside the door.

"Come on then, lets get this over with" Gene growled. He grabbed his coat, handing Alex her bag and wrap.

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Rebecca's house was just like that of her parents, Alex thought with a pang of longing, coming back upstairs from the kitchen. She'd been trying, without success to find Gene, having lost him over half an hour ago, when she'd got enmeshed in a conversation with a psychology lecturer. Rebecca had been right when she said that there would be a fascinating mix of people.

She'd meet them as they'd stepped into the hall. "Alex, darling! How lovely! Love the dress. Just too, too gorgeous. Now, let me introduce you to everyone." She taken Alex's arm and propelled her into the crowd of people in the sitting room, leaving Gene standing in the doorway. Alex had concentrated on remembering the blur of names and faces she was presented with. Gene had pursed his lips and looked at the floor. "The drinks are over there, DCI Hunt" Rebecca had called out, gesturing towards the back of the room "I'm sure that's all you'll be worried about this evening" He'd looked at her steadily and inclined his head sarcastically in her direction, remaining where he was. Alex had fought her way back through the press of people to take his arm, looking up at him anxiously.

He'd smiled at her brightly "Don't worry Bolly. I promise I won't punch anyone….. Not yet anyway" he'd muttered, patting her arm.

Alex, had worked her way across the room, chatting animatedly to everyone she met and Gene had stayed with her, a silent, brooding presence by her side.

"What did you say that bloke was called, Bols?" he'd asked, frowning in disbelief, finally breaking his silence .

"Ivo" repeated Alex "He's a lawyer in Rebecca's chambers"

"Ivo! That's a noise, not a name!" Gene had snorted in disgust. "Christ Bolly, I'm doing my best but I really do need another drink now" He'd managed to behave himself for nearly two hours, smiling grimly at the various lame jokes and "witty" observations most of the other guests had offered when they'd found out they had police officers in their midst.

Alex had grinned up at him, "I think you've earned one".

"More than bloody one" he'd replied, kissing her swiftly on the cheek and disappearing in search of alcohol to numb the social pain. She'd then got into the psychology conversation and had lost all track of time.

Moving into the large conservatory, still searching for Gene, she was side tracked by a group of guests talking about their Oxbridge days. Alex found herself drawn into the conversation, and although she had to be careful not to reveal that she hadn't actually been to University in their time, the whole Oxbridge experience was so steeped in tradition and ritual, she found she could talk quite happily about it all, without giving any dates away.

It was at that point that she heard the braying upper-class voice of one of the three minor Tory politicians that were also on the guest list.

"Look, I appreciate change is difficult for all you old-fashioned "bobbies", but you lot are just going to have to accept it. You have to move with the times, and in my opinion, Lord Scarman, is exactly the right man to drag you chaps kicking and screaming into the future."

Alex winced. He could only be talking to one person at this whole party in those terms. She turned round and saw the politician, not only haranguing Gene, but waving a bony finger at his chest.

"Christ, Gene'll kill him. I know he promised to behave but even I'd want to punch him if he spoke to me like that" she thought, excusing herself and moving swiftly in their direction.

"Alex, just the person I needed to see" Gene was in the first stages of drunkenness, his face tight with anger. How much has he managed to drink in half an hour, she wondered. "Please escort me away from this pathetic excuse of a man, before I rip his finger off and stuff it up his over-privileged backside."

Alex took his arm and led him away, steering him into the hall. There was a door to her left. In her parent's house, it had led to her father's study, and she took the gamble that there would be a similar layout in Rebecca's house. It turned out to be a smaller sitting room, the sofa piled high with coats. Gene swept them all off with one arm, and sat down carefully.

"Bols, get my handkerchief, please?" His tone was measured but his voice was clipped and Alex frowned, not understanding. He held up his right hand in silent explanation. He was holding a champagne flute, and she saw that the stem had shattered in his fingers. He was clutching both pieces so tightly that she hadn't noticed the break, or the blood which was running slowly from his fingers, down his wrist, soaking his shirt cuff with blood.

She reached inside his jacket, finding it straight away. She found it endearing that a man like Gene would always have a fresh handkerchief in his pocket. "My Mam drummed it into me" he'd told her sheepishly in explanation when she'd once queried it.

Taking the broken glass from him, she knelt beside him on the floor and carefully examined his fingers. "Not too deep, just lots of blood. How did you mange to do it, anyway?"

Gene shrugged, "It was either break the glass, or that twat's nose. I chose the option that would make you the least upset." She was wrapping his hand in the handkerchief now and she looked up in consternation at his words.

"You didn't have to that for me" she mumbled.

He lent his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes resignedly.

"Yes I did. The Super was right the other week, you know, you could have a great career, but not with me holding you back. I'm "old school", Bolly and there's no room for me where you're headed." She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Don't try and deny it. You heard that pompous prat out there. I'll just drag you down. You shouldn't be seen with a man who doesn't know which knife to use and an accent that makes them all wince every time I open my bloody mouth."

"Gene, you're being silly now. They don't think that. Why do you always have to make it a class thing?" Alex felt the change in his mood instantly and wished she could take back what she'd just said.

"Don't patronize me Alex!" he hissed "You know as well as I do, that's what it comes down to in the end! Class is only not an issue when you're all born on the right side of the divide and I wasn't. I've seen they way they look at me. All high and mighty with their plummy voices and their University educations"

He laughed bitterly. "Shall I tell you something else, Alex? I despise those people out there. They're changing the world, but they don't care what they break while they're doing it. And all the time they look down on the "little people" the plebs, the poor sods that are busy clearing up the mess they're making of things. People like me."

"Oh for God's sake, you're being bloody ridiculous now! Any one would think that you're jealous, the way you talk about them." Alex was aware of the conversation spiralling out of control, touching on things that were too raw for them to talk about in anger.

"Jesus Christ! You have no idea, do you? Of course I'm jealous of them!" he stared at her in anguish. "There's a part of me that still feels like the grubby, snot-nosed kid I used to be, standing on the pavement watching the all the posh kids go past in their shiny new Grammar School uniforms! I'd have given my right hand to have had the opportunities they had. And there's another part of me that loathes myself for thinking that, for wanting what they had."

He looked down at her, his face haunted.

"Look at me Alex. I'm a common Northern copper, raised in 2 rooms of a Manchester back-to-back. My dad beat us black & blue every night when he came home from the pub, my brother became a druggie and I could read more words at ten, than my Mam could her whole bloody life. I made my world, by myself, with my own blood, sweat and tears. No-one handed it to me on a plate, and now I'm hanging onto it by my fingernails 'cos people like _them_, out there are trying to take it away from me. I may not be as clever as they are, but at least I'm real. I do my best to make a difference. I've tried so hard Alex, but I don't want to be a part of their world"

He let out a long, ragged breath. "I've always known exactly who and what I am, made no excuses for it either, but you make me doubt myself. You bring out the best in me, and at the same time you bring out the worst too. Look how I treated you the other night, at the club. That was the darkest side of me, and I gave into it. That can't be right, can it Alex?" he asked, his voice full of pain. "I don't know what do or what to think any more."

Alex sat numbly on the floor beside him, unable to think of anything to say to him, knowing that everything he'd said was true. She thought her heart would break; it hurt so much to hear him talk that way.

Someone had turned the music up outside and it echoed faintly through the closed door, Soft Cell, "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye". He stood up slowly, reaching down and pulling her to her feet. David Gray will do a decent cover of this one day, Alex thought wryly as Gene wrapped her in his arms and held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in the scent of him. They stood like that for a long while, holding each other close, lost in each other.

The door clicked open, and Rebecca's voice cut in sharply, shattering the mood.

"There you are. Alex, do come and meet Hugo, he works for the Home Secretary, you'll love him. We'll be in the sitting room" She turned back into the hall, greeting another of her guests "Oh darling, how are you? I haven't spoken to you all night." She was gone, her voice fading.

"I don't want to meet bloody Hugo." Alex whispered to herself, fighting to control the tears that had sprung unbidden to her eyes. Gene pulled away from her and stepped back, holding her hand in his at arms length. His face was in shadow, his eyes unreadable.

"You look beautiful Bolly. No matter what happens in this life, I will always remember how beautiful you looked tonight" He let her hand go. "I'm going home now. I can't do this any more…… any of it."

"I'll just get my bag…." Alex took a step towards him, but he moved away, holding his hands out to ward her off.

"No, Alex, leave me be. You stay. I'll see you later"


	17. Chapter 17

**The conversation in the bar was, I have to admit, heavily influenced by the girls in the naughty corner – you all know who you are!**

Alex sat at the desk and stared out of her office window. The only good thing about moving to a new office next door to the Superintendent's, was that it was on the top floor and the view was better. She could see the sky and the bare branches of trees, black against the clouds. She sighed and tried to concentrate on the presentation she was supposed to be writing. She heard a cautious knock on the door and looked round to see Shaz standing in the doorway.

Alex smiled in delight "Shaz, I haven't seen you for ages! How are you? What have you been doing?"

"Oh, this and that Ma'm. Routine stuff mainly. Got a few good cases that we're working on though" She tailed off, knowing that Alex really wouldn't want to hear about them.

Alex pressed her lips together ruefully and nodded. "Good Shaz. Good for you"

"I came to ask if you wanted to go for a drink?There's a few of us going out. Just the girls. A couple of the other WPC's and some of the secretaries."

"OK, but not Luigi's, please Shaz"

"I wouldn't have asked you if we were going there. I know you don't want to see him"

"Thanks Shaz. I'll see you later. Let me know when the cost is clear"

"OK, but it's been six weeks now Ma'm. Surely you don't have to keep hiding away from him." She looked at Alex in concern.

"I do, I'm afraid Shaz. It's better that way."

Unconsciously, her hand went up to her neck and felt for the silver pendant that she still wore there.

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Drinks with the girls turned out to be a very bad idea. They'd gone to a bar just along from Luigi's and Alex felt bad tempered and edgy. The WPC's felt awkward in the presence of a DI who known as much for her temper these days, as she was for her rather scandalous relationship with her DCI.

The secretaries were all giggly drunk after 3 glasses of wine and started to go through all the men at the station, rating them for sex appeal. Alex was sat in the middle of them, at the other end of table from Shaz who was deep in conversation with a friend she'd met as they were going into the bar.

"I could really do without this" thought Alex sourly, as she tried to tune out some of the secretaries more ridiculous comments. They'd obviously played the game before and were being very scathing about the standard of the men they worked with.

"Only one bloke worth shaggin' in the whole bloody station" announced Carmen, the self appointed ring-leader of the game. She was one of the prettiest girls at the station, dark hair and eyes, curves in all the right places and her cleavage always on display. Alex knew that Carmen disliked her intensely, thinking she was too posh and resenting that fact that she was a DI.

"We all know who that is" the other girls shouted in chorus.

"He's bloody gorgeous" Carmen continued, a salacious look on her face "I'd give him one over his desk"

"Or under it" snorted one the others

"He's so shaggable, he could have me on the front desk in front of the whole station." This was from Denise, a very quiet, mousey looking girl. They all looked at her, impressed. She giggled and blushed, taking a huge swig of her wine.

"Or over the bonnet of that gorgeous car of his" Carmen closed her eyes, presumably to picture the scene without the distraction of Angela who was choking on her drink at the thought of it.

"And what's 'is name?" they all shouted as one.

"Gene Hunt!" crowed Carmen "Shouty and scary and oh so fuckable." She paused and looked at Alex with mock wide-eyed innocence. "You'd let 'im do you, wouldn't you Ma'm? Oh silly me, my mistake ………..you already have".

There was a collective intake of breath from the others, who weren't so foolishly drunk.

Alex stood up, her face betraying nothing "Yes I have, Carmen. Thank you so much for pointing that out to me. I'd almost forgotten I'd ever had the pleasure of DCI Hunt."

"I want him to handcuff me, and spank me on the bottom, with a rolled-up copy of the Police Gazette" continued Denise dreamily, unaware the mood had changed. She snapped out of her daydream, looking guilty. "Shit. Did I say that out loud? Sorry Ma'm"

Angela choked on her wine again.

Alex picked up her bag and left the table, her head held high.

"Stuck-up bitch" Carman muttered malevolently "He didn't want you, I'm going to have a go at him now. Come on girls." she called, "Let's go to Luigi's"

Ignore her, don't give her the satisfaction, Alex willed herself to stay calm, as she waved goodbye with mock cheeriness to Shaz, who at the bar by now and hadn't heard any of the conversation.

Outside she hailed a cab. The driver started to pull across to her side of the road, when in a screech of tyres a red Audi Quattro had cut across in front. A black clad arm emerged from the driver's window, middle finger held high, at the idiot who'd dared impede Gene Hunt's progress. He'd pulled over, brakes screaming and they'd all piled out of the car, down the steps to Luigi's.

Alex shook her head, both in despair at his driving, as well as the situation she found herself in these days.

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At home the radio was on as usual and the house was pin-neat. Alex had a lot of time for housework on her days off now. There was nothing else to do, she thought bitterly. She took a bottle of wine from the fridge and curled up on the sofa. Try as she might not to think back over the last few weeks, she couldn't help it and she found herself asking the same old question. Why had she let Gene take her to the party? Surely she must have known it was a truly terrible idea. You did, she rebuked herself, but he was adamant he wanted to go and you just couldn't resist. Wouldn't have done any good if you hadn't gone, another part of her acknowledged. He'd made up his mind before the party anyway. That had just been the final confirmation.

She could still see the look on his face as he'd told her he was going home; defeated, worn out. She'd remained where she was, unable to move, shocked that he'd pushed her away.

"Gene! Wait!" Coming to her senses, she'd run out of the house after him, almost tripping down the front steps in her haste to catch him, but he'd been walking too fast, striding away from her, far up the street, his black coat trailing out behind him like a fallen angels wings. "Gene!" He hadn't even turned round.

"Fuck! Fucking Hell" she'd snarled, clenching her teeth in frustration, kicking out at the wall of Rebecca's front garden. She'd sighed deeply, knowing she had to go back into the house to get her bag and wrap. She'd had no idea if Gene really would go home and she needed her keys. Squaring her shoulders, she'd plunged back into the light and noise of the party, concentrating on reaching the kitchen where she remembered leaving her things. Managing to ward off the attentions of the other guests, she'd made it to the hall, when Rebecca had appeared, catching her arm.

"Alex! Hugo's still waiting you know. Go and talk to him, he really is quite charming. You'd make a lovely couple"

"Rebecca, please! I'm with someone, you know that"

"I'm well aware who you're with Alex. You can't exactly overlook DCI Hunt, what with that delightfully "basic" attitude of his. Where is he anyway?"

"He's gone home. I'm just going, too"

Rebecca had looked at her with sly amusement, "Lover's tiff? I heard he was very aggressive to poor Toby. Still, what do you expect Alex? Men like Mr. Hunt are all very well in your bed, as a delicious piece of rough, but you really can't take them out in public, darling"

Alex had stared at her in fury, her hand itching to slap Rebecca's perfect porcelain cheek.

"You know, Gene warned me what a bitch you were. I'm just sorry it took me so long to work out exactly how poisonous you really are."

She'd walked out, finding a cab office on the main road, ignoring the catcalls and obscene suggestions offered by late night revelers outside the pub opposite.

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When she'd got in the house, there was no sign of Gene, but she knew he was home. He'd left the hall light on for her. She'd made her way slowly upstairs, to find him sitting on the landing, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his head leaning back against the wall. An empty bottle of wine lay on the floor beside him. His shirt was half unbuttoned, his bow tie, undone. Who needs James Bond fantasies, when I've got this, she'd thought, feeling a pulse start to beat between her legs.

"Thought you'd be ages yet. The party can't have finished already" He'd spoken quietly, not looking up.

"I suddenly realized it wasn't where I wanted to be" she'd replied softly. "Gene, I…."

He'd cut her off then, pulling her down to him, finding her mouth with his, kissing her hungrily, urgently. "Shush Bolly, I don't want to talk, ……..I just want you"

She'd smiled, trying to lighten the mood "Come on then, Gene, take me to bed. Show me that despite me making you go to parties full of Tory wankers, you still love me"

As he'd stood up and taken her hand, he'd looked at her, his eyes dark and smoky. "I do, Alex. Always will." His face had been solemn, unsmiling.

He'd drawn back the bedroom curtains, letting the moonlight flood in, "I want to see you" he'd stated. Alex remained where she was, letting him slowly draw down the zip of her dress, slipping the material down her body, to pool at her feet. Taking the clips from her hair, he'd run his fingers through it, making fall around her face as it usually did. She'd slowly undone the rest of his shirt buttons, brushing her hands lightly over his skin as she'd pushed the material from him. He'd trembled slightly at her touch, dipping his head to kiss her again. Removing her bra, he kissed his way down her body, licking and nipping at her skin.

"Your skin always smells so good, Bolly. Makes me feel alive" he'd murmured, kneeling in front of her, hands resting lightly on her hips for a second, before he hooked his thumbs into the elastic of knickers, easing them down slowly. He stroked one hand up her leg, letting go a groan as his fingers had reached the top of her thigh, feeling the wetness there. He eased closer to her, resting her leg over his shoulder, his tongue hard against her sensitive flesh, opening her up, reaching into the hot, slick centre of her. Alex had hissed through her teeth, gripping his shoulders hard to stop herself from falling. She rocked herself against his mouth, head back, eyes closed, lost in the rapture of what he was doing to her. His hands had moved from her hips to the cheeks of her arse, pulling her hard against his mouth. He groaned into her, dragging his teeth over her swollen clit, making Alex shudder with the increased sensation. "Oh, Oh, that's so…so…good" she'd whimpered. "I'm gonna come, I'm …Oh God" her knees had given way then and he'd tightened his grip, holding her firmly against him as she'd writhed and gasped, soaking wet from his mouth and her climax.

He'd pulled away from her, standing up again. She kissed him, loving that she could taste herself on his mouth.

"You're still dressed" she'd whispered "I need you naked. I need to taste you."

He'd drawn in a deep breath, "Oh god, yes….. please Alex. I love it when you do that to me." He'd stripped off the rest of his clothes and Alex had moved back to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling him towards her, to stand between her open legs. She was still wearing her stockings, suspenders and heels and he made a growling noise deep in his chest as he watched her bend her head towards his straining, erect cock. She felt him smooth her hair back from her face, gathering it up in his hands so he could watch her take him into her mouth. She kissed the tip of him softly, her tongue flicking out to lick him, running softly round the sensitive underside. He'd gasped, "Fuck, … Oh God". She sucked gently, teasingly, her hand stroking him, making him groan with each movement of her fingers and tongue. Opening her mouth wider she covered him with her lips, sucking hard, her tongue licking harder now. He pushed his hips forward, his fingers tightening in her hair and she took as much of him in her mouth as she could, moaning in pleasure as she felt him shudder. "Oh yes…. That feels incredible.. Jesus, Alex" he'd panted out the words, barely able to talk as she'd sucked at him, his cock throbbing and pulsing in her mouth. "No…enough….want to be inside you"

He'd pulled away from her, pushing her back onto the bed, lifting her hips, turning her over. She'd knelt on all fours, back arched, desperate for him. He'd knelt behind her, his breathing hard and ragged, pushing inside her urgently with short, stabbing strokes, drawing small cries of ecstasy from her. "Can't hold on much longer…. you feel too good" Gene had gasped. His fingers had reached round to touch her, pressing down on her clit, moving in small circles. Alex had shouted with pleasure, throwing her head back and grinding against him. He'd driven his cock into her as hard as could, pulling her back onto him, groaning as he'd released inside her, flooding into her as she'd convulsed around his hard flesh.

They'd slumped down onto the bed, Gene wrapping his arms around her. Before she drifted of to sleep, Alex had just about had the wherewithal to struggle out of her stockings, giggling to herself as she did so. Gene had remained asleep, curled up against her back.

She'd woken later, to the feeling of him kissing her breasts, drawing the nipples into his mouth, sucking them insistently, flicking his tongue over the hard, taut buds.

"Wake up Alex" he'd whispered sleepily "Want you again". She'd moved closer to him, cradling his head in her hands, running her fingers through his hair, still half asleep. She'd shifted onto her side, facing him and lifted her leg up, wrapping it around his hip, pulling him close to her, feeling him slip into her easily as she was still soaking wet from earlier.

"Love being inside you" he'd whispered " I love it so much" Alex had drawn his mouth up hers and kissed him deeply. He'd moved inside her, long, slow, sleepy strokes, the urgency of earlier, vanished. She'd rocked her hips, matching his rhythm, running her fingers down his spine, feeling the heat inside her build slowly. His face was nestled in her neck, his hands splayed across her back. She felt his body tense, he'd moved faster, deeper. A languid molten heat had pulsed through her body, making her limbs tingle. "Now Alex?" he'd asked, his voice tight with the effort of holding on "Yes, yes, now Gene" she'd urged, the fire roaring through her viens, arching her hips towards him. He'd thrust harder, coming almost instantly, a low groan issuing from him as he'd clutched her to him.

"Alex, my beautiful Alex….no one else…ever".

She'd hardly heard him for the overwhelming rush of pleasure that had swept over her, leaving her spent and exhausted, limbs heavy. He'd lain beside her for a long time, watching her, stroking her gently as she'd drifted off to sleep. She'd never known Gene to be like that, so loving and so attentive. She realized later it had been his way of saying goodbye.

In the morning he'd left, packing his bags in silence as she slept. She'd woken to his farewell kiss, his face closed off again, his eyes clouded. Still half-wrapped in a deep sleep, she'd not properly understood his words until she'd later discovered the empty wardrobe, the spaces on the bookshelves where he'd taken the paperbacks she'd bought him all those months ago.

"I need to be me again, Bolly. Too many differences between us"

The front door had slammed and she'd heard the roar of the Audi's engine as he'd screamed away down the street.

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She woke in the early morning, cramped and uncomfortable from spending the night on the sofa. She found she did that a lot these days, reluctant to go to bed, Gene's absence most noticeable in the dark of the night.

Right, suppose I'd better just go into work, I'm not going to go back to sleep, she reasoned. Alex stood under the shower for a long time, letting it's heat bring some warmth back to her body, concentrating on the sensation of the water so that her mind was empty of anything else for just a short while.

She walked to the station, the chill morning making her cheeks flush with cold. Walking round the last corner, she stopped abruptly. Gene was coming down the steps to his car, shouting over his shoulder.

"If anyone wants know, I'm at breakfast Viv! There'll be somewhere open in Smithfield. Hair of the dog! Feel rough as a badgers arse!" Flinging open the driver's door, he revved the engine and roared away. Alex let out a deep breath, unclenching her fists, walking quickly through the front door before anyone noticed her. She made it to her desk without having to talk to anyone. OK, she thought, just stay calm. Concentrate on your work. Her chest ached and her eyes stung.

"You all right DI Drake?" the Super stuck his head round her door.

"Yes, yes, fine Sir, just a bit cold. Walked to work, should have worn more layers…." Alex was aware she was babbling now.

He smiled at her "Good. Just seen some of that presentation you wrote. Marvelous work DI Drake. DCI Hunt was right, you were wasted on his team. Far better to have you up here."

"Thank you Sir. Well, you know DCI Hunt. He's usually right about everything. Knows what he wants, ….and what he doesn't." she smiled brightly.

The Super beamed at her in return and wandered off in the direction of his office. Alex slumped down in her chair and put her head in her hands. She still couldn't believe what Gene had done. He'd put the wheels in motion to remove Alex from the team even before they'd gone to the party. She realized that the whole of the last week they'd spent together, he'd been planning to leave. Evidently his behaviour at the Royal Oak had been the catalyst for his change of heart. The party had just confirmed to him what he already thought about their realtionship.

He'd been to see the Super, suggested that Alex should work full time on the modernization project that the Super had mapped out for his station. He'd leapt at the chance, getting Alex to work on a project specifically designed to recruit more women into the force. Part of her brief had been to write a presentation on sexism within the Met, the reasons behind it and why having more senior women officers could only be good for the development of the force. Who am I trying to kid, she'd thought cynically. The sexism's still there in my time.

It was a huge compliment that the Super thought she was capable of doing something like this, but Alex just longed to be back doing real work with the rest of the team. No chance of that, she couldn't work with Gene anyway. It would be unbelievably painful. She couldn't believe how much she missed him, even his foul moods and his monumental stubbornness. Everything reminded her of him. She'd walked past a man in the street who'd been smoking the same brand of cigars as Gene did on her way home last week. She'd caught the scent of the smoke as if drifted towards her and had stopped dead, shaking with longing.

She looked up as a figure appeared at her door. It was Ray, looking out of place and uncomfortable.

"Ray! Come in! What are you doing up here?" she tried and failed, to stop her face breaking into a grin.

He smiled back, awkwardly. This was the first time he'd spoken to her since she'd broken up with the Guv and he didn't know how to react. He blurted out his news, desperate to escape back down stairs, away from the risk of anything emotional.

"I thought you'd want to know. I found Frank Kingsland. 'e went abroad after the Guv was shot, that's why we couldn't track 'im down when we tried to find 'im last time. 'e's back now. I've checked it out and it's definitely 'im."

"That's fantastic! So you're going to bring him in? We've.. you've, got Gerry Mackenzie's confession, he quite clearly named Kingsland as the man who paid him to shoot Ge… the Guv"

Alex stumbled over the words, elated they'd got him, but gutted that she wasn't going top be a part of it. She looked at Ray, puzzled at his lack of enthusiasm.

"You are going to arrest him, aren't you Ray?"

That's just it, Ma'm. We can't, not allowed too. Kingsland's in deep with some serious drug dealer, been passing information to another team from Collier Street Station up at King's Cross for months. They're all set to make a move against 'im any time soon. They promised 'im a deal on his sentence for shooting the Guv if he'd got one of their undercover lads into Waltham's inner circle."

"Hang on...Waltham? Harry Waltham? Bloody hell. Does the Guv know about this?"

Ray nodded. "He's fine with it. Wants to get Waltham more than Kingsland. He told you why, I suppose, I mean before you, when you were still…." He stopped, feeling too awkward to go on.

"Yes, he told me" she paused, knowing she shouldn't ask but unable to help herself "How is he? The Guv, I mean, he's ok? You are taking care of him?"

Ray didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell he the truth, that the Guv was worse than he'd ever seen him, worse even than when Tyler had died. At least then they'd been able to go out and get roaring drunk in memory of him, deal with it together under the influence of alcohol as blokes always did. He's tried that this time, but the Guv had refused. "If I start drinking to get over her Ray, I'm never going to stop. Don't want to, anyway…" Gene had muttered, before shouting at Luigi to fetch them more beer. "And you didn't hear me say that."

"Didn't 'ear a thing, Guv" Ray knew only to well that Gene would never reveal exactly how he felt about Alex.

He still drank to excess, spending most of his evenings with them all in Luigi's, but there came a point in the proceedings where he removed himself, collecting his key from behind the bar and disappearing upstairs to Liugi's old flat. When he'd first left Alex, he'd stayed with Ray for a couple of nights before asking Luigi if he could have the use of the flat. At least he got to eat a proper meal, this way, Ray reasoned. Luigi looked after him and bullied him into having some food every evening. He couldn't tell Alex any of this though, the Guv would kill him. He'd made it clear there was to be no interference in whatever was happening between him and DI Drake. He looked at the floor and shrugged.

"He's fine Ma'm." he muttered "You know. Still the Guv. Bad tempered old bastard."

"Good. Great. Well, I'd best get on…. I'll see you then, Ray" Alex turned away, knowing that she wouldn't. Ray, like all the others, apart from Shaz, avoided her like the plague theses days.

She did nothing all morning, staring out of the window, wasting her time with memories. When the phone rang it took her a few seconds to reconnect with her surroundings.

"Hello, DI Drake speaking."

It was Viv, calling from the front desk. "There's a DCI Fletcher down here Ma'm. He's down here from Collier Street and he wondered if he could have a quick word with you"

"Um… yes, that's fine. Tell him to hang on and I'll come down"

Viv sighed "Best not to Ma'm. DCI Hunt's back and he's in a really bad mood. You really don't want to bump into him today. I'll send DCI Fletcher up to you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She waited in the corridor by the lift. The doors slid open and a tall figure stepped out quickly, knocking into Alex, spinning her off balance. A hand gripped her elbow, stopping her from falling, and Alex closed her eyes briefly, breathing in the familiar, heart-breaking scent of him. His fingers tightened on her arm, and were gone. She raised her eyes to his, suddenly unsteady.

"You OK?" Gene looked down at her, the question loaded with far more meaning than a simple enquiry.

"Yes, I'm fine DCI Hunt, perfectly OK." Alex's voice was icy. This was the first time he'd spoken to her since he'd left. He'd completely shut her out, cut off any contact with her. Not that she'd tried to talk to him. She knew it would be useless to try and change his mind and she was too proud to beg him to come back. She stepped away quickly, holding out her hand to the other occupant of the lift, a boyish looking man of about her age.

"You must be DCI Fletcher? How nice to met you. Do come this way" Alex indicated towards her office, willing herself not to look at Gene again. She could feel him, standing in the corridor watching her, until she reached her office and shut the door thankfully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Half an hour later Alex was in the ladies locker room, changing her top. The encounter with Gene had unsettled her so much, that she'd managed to spill tea down herself and almost down DCI Fletcher as well.

"I'm so sorry" Alex had been embarrassed. "I'm not normally like this"

"Don't worry about it" Tom Fletcher had smiled sympathetically at her. "Bad day? I hear DCI Hunt's a right bastard when he wants to be"

"Something like that, yes" Alex had smiled gratefully at him.

Now she listened idly to the conversations around her as she did up the buttons of her clean shirt. It was lunch time and the room was thick with hairspray and perfume as the secretaries got ready to go out to eat.

"Come on then, Carmen. Give us all the gossip. What's he like? Did you shag 'im?"

"Course I bloody did! Not gonna let a bloke like that go without givin' him one!"

"Or two, or three!"

They'd broken into cackles of dirty laughter and Alex had started to shut her locker, ready to go back to work. She froze at the next comment.

"So where did you do it with 'im? In that sexy red car of his? You never got to go to 'is place did you! Did you?"

Alex was rooted to the spot. She knew that she didn't want to hear the rest of the conversation, but she just couldn't stop herself listening.

"No, we went to mine. My flat mate was out. We did it on the sofa and in my bed. Bloody gorgeous. He knows how to make a girl moan, and not in complaint, if you know what I mean!"

The cackling started again. "You're such a dirty girl Carmen! Did he stay all night?"

"Yeh! That's why I'm so knackered. We were at it all night. I'll tell you what girls , you get a whole lot of man when you fuck the Gene Genie."

Alex left as quickly as she could, unable to bear listening to any more. Carmen caught a glimpse of her as she disappeared through the door. Good, she thought in satisfaction, she heard. Serves 'er right, silly cow, spoiling 'im for the rest of them. Carmen had no intention of telling anyone what had really happened in her flat. Gene had shagged her once, pushing her down on the sofa, her face in the cushions. The sex had been hard and fast, without a word exchanged between them, except when he'd cried out a name at the end as he came. It hadn't been Carmen's. He'd left shortly afterwards, refusing the offer of a repeat performance. "No more condoms, and I'm not touching you without one, luv" he'd stated bluntly, shrugging on his coat and sweeping out the door, ignoring the fact Carmen was trying to find her handbag to get the packet she always kept in there.

Alex fled, back up to the safety of the top floor, digging her nails into the palms of hands as she went, fighting the tears. "Bastard" she whispered to herself "Fucking bastard! Why did he have to pick her!"


	18. Chapter 18

The Collier Street CID room was crowded, thick with smoke and the clashing smells of a dozen different aftershaves. Ray looked round anxiously. The Guv was late; he was going to miss the start if he didn't get here soon. He'd sent him on ahead with Chris and Shaz, saying that he'd had something to do and he'd meet them there.

The last Ray had seen of him, he'd been getting in the lift, impatiently pushing the button for the top floor. Ray suspected that he'd been on his way to see DI Drake. The Guv had been edgy for the last couple of days, ever since he'd bumped into her on his way to see the Super. One of the secretaries had seen it happen and had told Shaz, who'd told Chris, who, naturally, had told Ray. There were precious few secrets at the station.

Ray had watched the Guv carefully after that; He'd also heard that Alex had been seen in the company of a DCI Fletcher, who, according to Shaz, was "gorgeous". He hoped to God, that DI Drake wasn't seeing this Fletcher bloke. Alex seeing someone else would destroy Gene. The Guv was taking things badly enough as it was, not that he'd said anything concrete about why he and Alex had split up, just mumbled about being too different for each other on one of the many evenings when he'd had too much to drink.

"But surely that's a good thing Guv?" Shaz had volunteered, "I mean, your wife was from exactly the same background as you and that didn't work. At least you've got the job in common with DI Drake"

Gene looked at Shaz in drunken puzzlement. "How is being worlds apart a good thing Shaz?"

"Makes you see things from another point of view, Guv. Expands your horizons" She'd grinned at him.

"I don't think DI Drake expanded his horizons, Shaz" joked Ray "I think it were something much lower down than that!"

Gene had said nothing for a moment, just looked at him in disgust. "I'm going" he'd snapped "I'm not staying here all night listening to you lot talk bollocks. DS Carling, I'll remind you again, that although DI Drake might not work with us any more, she's still your senior officer."

"Sorry Guv" Ray had known he'd over stepped the mark. Gene had stalked off without another word.

Luigi had watched him go, sadly, shaking his head. "You must not tease him. His heart, it is broken."

He felt Chris nudge his arm, making him re-focus on the fact that he was at Collier Street nick, and they saw Gene pushing his way through the door towards them, his face set and grim. Did he see her or not? thought Ray. You really couldn't tell from his expression. Mind you, he looked bloody furious all the time these days. Maybe he was just pissed off at having to come to another station to be briefed on this drugs op.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex sat at the front of the room, over to one side, out of the way of everyone's curious gaze. She hadn't worked out whether they were staring because she was the only female DI in the Met, or because she was the only female DI who'd been shagged and dumped by a senior officer. In her experience, men liked a good gossip as much as women did, and news of the relationship between her and Gene would have travelled fast. Either way, Alex felt uncomfortable and she knew the feeling would only increase when the briefing started. Gene would be here somewhere and she dreaded facing him.

She'd thought long and hard about the conversation she'd overheard in the locker room and she'd managed to sort out in head exactly what it was that had upset her so much about it. It wasn't that Gene had shagged Carmen. It wasn't as though they were still together; he hadn't been unfaithful to her. It was the fact that Gene had stayed the night with her, slept in her bed. It was too intimate, too personal. Sex she could deal with, but emotional involvement was much more hurtful.

DCI Fletcher looked at his watch, banging on the desk in front of him to get everyone's attention. "Shall we get started?" he smiled, looking round the room at all the assembled officers.

"Firstly I'd like to welcome our colleagues from Fenchurch East. You all know why they're involved in this op. Frank Kingsland should have been their collar for the attempt on DCI Hunt's life, and they've been more than generous in sitting back and letting us set this up."

Everyone turned round to stare at Gene and his team. Alex remained where she was, looking straight ahead; glad she was sitting next to a particularly burly officer. His bulk hid her nicely from view. Fletcher continued, speaking confidently.

"We want to bring down Harry Waltham for good with this bust. We've be trying for a long time and this is, quite honestly, the best chance we're going to get. As you all know, he runs two official businesses from the one building - his nightclub "Fantasy" and the casino. On the surface they seem to be totally legitimate enterprises, but if we can arrest him for drugs offences, we can also start looking in to his financial affairs. Gaining access to the premises in this manner means we can also prove he's running a brothel and maybe throw some light on various nasty areas of his private life. We know that Waltham doesn't actually deal drugs himself, he leaves that to others. What he does is supply them with the products they need to keep their customers happy.

"We've got into Waltham's inner circle, with the assistance of Frank Kingsland. He disappeared abroad a while back as you all know, after DCI Hunt was shot and we've given him the story that whilst sunning himself on the Costa, he's made other contacts that will help him resurrect his dealing network. One of these contacts is a man named Eddie Flynn, who very conveniently is throwing a party in the club. Kingsland's told Waltham that he wants to introduce Eddie and his friends to the local supplier, help him become part of the London scene. Eddie Flynn" is actually DCI Marsh, on loan to us from Scotland Yard specifically to be the main undercover officer in this op."

Fletcher nodded at an officer on the other side of room to Alex. She lent forward to take a look. DCI Marsh was tall, at least six three, shaven-headed. He was powerfully built and looked more like a soldier than a police officer. Alex wasn't surprised to find out later that he'd been in the army for a number of years previously.

"DCI Marsh is very experienced at this kind work. He's been involved in numerous other undercover situations. He's kindly agreed to be here today so you can all see what he looks like, but after this briefing he's going back to his other identity and the next time you all see him will be at the club on the night of the op. Stand up, Eddie"

"Oh good" Ray heard Gene mutter "A real life action man." Ray grinned to himself.

"Cheers Eddie" Fletcher picked up his notes and continued. "We will have officers in the club and casino, both posing as guests of Flynn and Kingsland, and also as catering staff. Waltham is very clever in minimizing the risk of anyone finding out what sort of other business he runs from his premises. He employs a small core of people to run the place, most of whom we're fairly sure know what's really going on."

"The rest of his bar staff her gets from an agency. Waltham's canny enough to realize that most agency staff want to work their shift, get paid and bugger off home. They don't notice things and they don't start asking awkward questions as they're not around long enough to care. Five of the staff working the in the club and casino will be our officers. Six others will be posing as guests. Their details are listed on your handouts, along with a plan of the premises. You need to read and memorize both of these pieces of information as we won't be taking radios in with us. It's crucial that we know who we all are and where we've been placed."

He gestured to a large floor plan that was pinned up on the board next to him

"Kingsland has managed to give us a fairly accurate picture of the layout of the first floor upstairs from the club where the brothel is, but there's a floor above that he's never got access to. We believe it's Waltham's own private rooms where he sometimes stays when he's not pretending to be an upstanding member of Highgate society."

"The deal will almost certainly be done in one of the rooms on the first floor. That's where Kingsland's done business with Waltham before. Harry likes show off his latest girls to his associates. When the deal takes place, DCI Marsh won't be wearing a wire. It's too risky for him to do that, Waltham's too smart. We can't get another male officer in either. Kingsland can take Flynn as his new business partner, but no more than that.

"It's crucial that we have two officers in the room at the time of deal to corroborate events. If we don't, Waltham's legal team will crucify us, and he'll walk. That's not happening this time gentlemen. Harry Waltham has walked free from court too many times for us to fuck this up."

Fletcher looked up from his notes and met Gene's flinty stare. Clearing his throat, he continued.

"Fortunately for us, Waltham, like most men, frequently overlooks the fairer sex. Kingsland knows that girls will be provided for his entertainment by Waltham so he's not taking anyone along, but Eddie Flynn will bring his own "entertainment", so to speak. The back story to this is that he's got his very own "posh tart" and he can't get enough of her".

Tom Fletcher grinned as he turned to Alex. "Sorry for the introduction, DI Drake. You'll have to agree that at least the posh bit's true. Please stand up so everyone can see you"

Alex gritted her teeth, wanting to sink through the floor, and did as she was asked.

"I'm sure you all know of DI Drake." He continued. I bet they bloody do, grimaced Alex. "She's currently involved in a number of projects for her Superintendent, but he's kindly agreed to lend her to us for a while"

Alex stood up straight, head held high as she looked round the room. Most of the men gave her a nod and quick smile. She caught Shaz's eye and returned her grin. Chris gave her a thumbs up, Ray was standing next to him looking worried. She tried and failed to stop herself looking at the tall brooding figure at the very back of the room. Gene returned her gaze, his face expressionless, revealing nothing but his eyes held hers, burning into her. Alex dropped her gaze first, sitting down quickly, her hands shaking imperceptibly and she cursed the effect that he still had on her.

The rest of the briefing thankfully only lasted another ten minutes or so more. Fletcher explained that uniform back-up would be waiting for a signal that the deal was done.

"I'll be in the van with them; Waltham knows my face, so I can't actually be seen in the club itself. We can't make any arrests until we see Eddie back downstairs and he gives us the nod. The coat check girl will be one of us on the night, WPC Coombes. She'll be the only one with a radio and will pass the message outside to us. This is an extremely difficult set-up. Waltham's security precautions make it very hard for us to operate effectively so we all have to be very alert to what is happening at all times."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After everyone had left, Alex spent a while longer going over the details of the op with DCI Marsh. Despite the tough looking exterior, he was very charming, making her laugh when he declared that he would refer to her as "Honey" throughout the evening.

"I've got so many names to remember," he grinned. "It's just easy to call you by a common nickname. I hope you don't mind"

Alex assured him that as nicknames went, it was far politer than some she'd heard. She collected her things, pulling on her jacket.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, then. At the hotel. Don't really want to walk through the streets in the outfit I'm going to be wearing" she confided.

DCI Marsh raised an eyebrow and gave her an assessing look. "I can't wait to see what you're going to look like, then. You look good enough as it is in those jeans. When all this is over, I really should ask you out for drink, DI Drake"

Alex blushed, her fingers linking round the necklace at her throat. "I'd best be going. See you."

She walked slowly up the corridor, smiling wryly. A rather gorgeous looking man had just paid her a blatant compliment, declared his interest in her, and all she could think was that he wasn't the man she wanted to be asking her out.

Gene stepped out from the doorway of one of the rooms, blocking her path, one arm stretched out to rest on the opposite wall, preventing her from moving round him. He must have been waiting for her to finish. Alex started in surprise, her head spinning at the nearness of him.

"A word DI Drake, if you don't mind", he said with soft menace, stepping forward and forcing her to move into an unoccupied office. He shut the door behind them firmly, before turning to face her again.

His anger was palpable. "Have you gone completely bloody mad? What the hell do you think you are doing?" He growled, leaning towards her, looking down his nose, eyes narrowed. Alex tried not to let her own anger rise to the surface, but failed to contain it. Two words in six weeks, she fumed, and now he has the gall to challenge me about this!

"It may have escaped your notice, DCI Hunt, but despite my being stuck up on the top floor with the Super, I'm still a serving police officer, and what I'm doing is my job, actually!"

"Why this though, Drake? Why Waltham?"

"Because DCI Fletcher asked me to! For God's sake, I'm the most senior female officer they have! Of course I'm going to be involved with something like this." She took a deep breath and tried to control her racing heart.

"It's dangerous, Alex. Anything could happen when we get in that club!"

"So what am I supposed to do? Say no and let them make do with one of the WPC's! I'm in there to do my job Gene, to catch Waltham's eye and distract him. No one else can do that!" Alex was shouting at him now, infuriated by his attitude.

"Harry Waltham is a psycho! He's also more than likely a cold-blooded killer. I can show you pictures of what he's done to some of the other girls that caught his eye, if you like!"

He shouted back at her furiously, his fists clenched in frustration. "I don't like it Alex! I don't like it that you will be anywhere _near_ that man!"

She gave him a long, hard look, moving closer to stand face-to-face with him.

"Well there's your problem Gene. Because what you do, or don't like me doing is none of your concern these days, is it. I'm not part of your team anymore" She stared him down, daring him to disagree. He said nothing, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Game over Gene. I win, you lose" she hissed, pushing past him, knocking his shoulder with hers. Flinging open the door, she started to stalk down the corridor.

"Alex! ...Alex….don't you _DARE_ walk out on me!" He was almost incoherent with rage, and the knowledge that everything she'd just said was true.

She whirled round, walking back towards him, her face twisted with fury. "Why not!" she snarled "You did it to me, remember!"

"Alex, we need to sort this out. I don't want you in that club!" His expression changed for just an instant and she saw the worry in his eyes. Alex didn't care. She was furious with him, for his domineering attitude towards her, for ignoring her for so long, and most of all for sleeping with Carmen. She jabbed her finger into his chest and snarled back at him through gritted teeth.

"No, we don't need to sort it out, Gene! You walked out! You did what you always do and completely cut me off! Now you can't suddenly start telling me what I can and can't do! Just piss off and leave me alone!"

She pushed open the door to the station reception and was out the main front door before he could move.

"Need a lift, Alex!" called a voice from the other side of the road. DCI Fletcher leaned out of the window of his car, beckoning to her "Come on!"

"Tom, perfect timing!" Alex ran across the road thankfully, opened the passenger door and quickly settled herself in the car. She looked up as they pulled away to see Gene standing on the pavement, watching her.

Fletcher drove in silence for a few minutes, not looking at her, obviously realizing that she needed some time to calm down.

"Fancy getting something to eat?" he suggested tentatively, as they sat waiting at traffic lights.

Alex sighed, "Tom, I don't really think that would be a good idea….."

Fletcher flashed her a quick grin, "I'm not asking you out on a date Alex, I just heard you and DCI Hunt arguing in there before I left and I wondered if you wanted to talk about it."

Alex raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly.

"Really, just something to eat. Honestly. You're not my type anyway. I prefer blondes" He grinned cheekily at her.

"OK then, but can the something to eat, include something to drink too? It's nearly six and old habits die hard. I know just the place."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four hours later, Alex and Tom Fletcher were on their third bottle of wine and the pasta they'd shared had long since ceased to soak up the alcohol in their systems. Luigi looked over at them, from the bar, his gaze resting on them both unhappily before tracking back to the other side of the room where Gene and the lads sat drinking in silent solidarity. In the middle of the restaurant, between the two parties, sat Shaz and Chris. Shaz watched Alex and Tom carefully and Chris just sat there, looking longingly over at the Guv and the others, clearly desperate to join them.

As Alex got up and made her way to the ladies, Shaz followed her and waited outside, catching her arm as she came out.

"Ma'm! What are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice "You don't drink here these days. The Guv's bloody furious"

Alex eyed her blearily. "I'm having a drink with DCI Fletcher, Shaz. That's all. I like it here. I've missed this place and, anyway, it's none of DCI Hunt's business. I'm surprised he's still here, actually. I thought he'd be at Carman's place, shagging her all night, like he apparently was a couple of nights ago."

Shaz's eyes widened. "Is that what she said? The evil little cow! She's lying when she said he stayed all night. I was here when he left with her, and I saw him come in and get his key from Luigi less than an hour later. He was on his own, 'cos he had another couple of drinks with us"

Shaz frowned, "He probably shagged her, Ma'm, he's a bloke after all, but he never stayed the night"

Alex smiled a radiant smile and hugged the younger girl, hard. Shaz frowned at her in bemusment.

"Thank you for telling me that, Shaz" she said. "A quick shag I can deal with. Bollocks over-ruling brains." She giggled. "I've done that and I don't even have bollocks" " She tipped her head to one side, drunkenly and sighed sadly. "Bloody men"

Shaz gave her a worried look "You're not going to do anything with DCI Fletcher are you, Ma'm" she asked "It'll only make things worse"

To her surprise, Alex burst out laughing "No Shaz, I'm not going to shag DCI Fletcher. Never in a million years."

She patted Shaz's arm in drunken reassurance and wandered back through the bar to her table. Tom Fletcher was leaning back on his chair, watching the group over the other side of the bar. He seemed totally unfazed by the fact that Gene was staring back at him with murder in his eyes.

She'd discovered a kindred spirit in Tom Fletcher; he was intelligent, funny, and a great listener. The conversation between them in the last few hours had been refreshingly candid. Alex had told him at length about the problems between her and Gene, and he'd offered no advice, but had just sat and let her talk. He'd been less forth coming about hi own private life, although Alex had picked up lots of information from his body language and from what he hadn't said. He looked up as Alex came back.

"You've been bloody ages" he complained with a grin "What've you been doing?"

"Shaz has been pleading with me not to shag you" laughed Alex "I told her I'm not your type. So come on then, Tom. Who is your type? Really?" she asked with a nod towards the other drinkers.

"Ah! Very clever, DI Drake. Should have known I couldn't fool you"

Tom studied the other officers carefully for a moment and turned to her with a wicked grin.

"I'd have to say that DCI Hunt does it for me every time. He's just so, ………..male, isn't he? You've got very good taste, ducky. I'm sitting here in a frenzy of lust" His voice slipped into a parody of campness and Alex crowed with laughter, feeling happier than she had done in weeks.

Gene stood up abruptly, banging his pint glass down on the table.

"Luigi! Key!" he barked "I've have enough of this place for this evening".

He snatched up his door key from the bar and stalked out, throwing Alex and Tom a look of pure rage as he went.


	19. Chapter 19

Alex met DCI Marsh and Frank Kingsland in a hotel just off Russell Square, at just gone nine the following evening. Fletcher had collected her from her house and driven her over there, running over the details of the op again with her on the way.

"I got really drunk last night, didn't I?" he'd asked cautiously as they'd approached the hotel.

Alex had known what was coming next. "Yes, you did" she'd replied, "but whatever you said, or rather, didn't say, stays my secret. I won't be telling anyone else"

"Thanks." He looked relieved. "I'm just not ready to go there yet, and my colleagues certainly aren't ready either"

Alex nodded. "Probably for the best. Attitudes won't change for a long while yet. Sad, but very true, I'm afraid. Still I'm always up for getting drunk and talking about it whenever you want to" She flashed him a grin and undid the car door, hooking the bag with her change of clothes in it over her arm. "I'll see you later." She climbed out of the car and hurried towards the hotel entrance.

"Good luck Alex. Just remember, follow Eddie's lead. He knows what he's doing" Tom called to her as she walked up the front steps.

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Kingsland was uncomfortable and nervous, but he was realistic enough to know that he had to go through with the deal if he wanted a lighter sentence. He'd been taken quietly into custody the previous day, just to make sure that he didn't get cold feet and disappear again. Fletcher had told Alex that it wasn't just his sentence that was up for consideration. His son, who had been driving the car for Mackenzie, was on remand, awaiting sentencing and his father's actions tonight would influence that too. He sat silently, chain smoking, his hands in cuffs. DCI Marsh would remove them just before they were due to leave.

"Don't let me forget" he joked. "Don't want Waltham wondering why he's got cuffs round his wrists".

Alex grinned. "You could always say that he's really into to bondage"

Marsh laughed and then his face became serious. He inclined his head towards the door of the connecting room and Alex followed him through it.

"Alex. I know you're a senior officer; you've been trained for these sorts of thing, but seriously, watch yourself in there tonight. I'll be looking out for you the whole time, but Waltham is a really nasty piece of work. Don't let yourself forget that. He's very plausible when you meet him for the first time"

She looked up at him. "It's OK" she said "I'll be very careful. I'm not going to take any risks"

He stood watching her for a moment and she shooed him away. "Out! I've got to change"

Twenty minutes later she returned to the main room. Kingsland saw her first and whistled.

"Now there's a vision to remember when I'm lying alone in my prison bunk. Harry's gonna luv you, gorgeous" he leered.

Alex ignored him and looked at Marsh for approval of her outfit. She'd given much thought to what she was going to wear and had spent a pleasant afternoon shopping in Soho, putting it all together. She wanted to stand out and to be different from the other girls, to make Waltham notice her, so she'd decided to take her inspiration from the "Moulin Rouge" showgirls. She'd also borrowed heavily from the "Lady Marmalade" video, safe in the knowledge that it wouldn't be made for another nineteen years, and so no-one would realize that she'd used Christina Augilera as a style icon.

She'd found a black net "tutu" style skirt in a theatrical costumier shop on Brewer Street. Ridiculously short, set low on her hips, the layers emphasized her bottom when she walked, flicking out and up with each step she took, revealing to everyone that she wore lace top seamed stockings. Her top was a black satin corset that hooked up at the back and laced tightly up the front, pushing up her breasts and giving her an unmissable cleavage. The heart pendant around her neck drew attention to it, shifting and sparkling with each breath.

Her heels were high, but she knew she could walk in them, even run at push. Alex needed the height they gave her. Eddie was so tall, he made her feel too dainty and she needed the feeling of power that heels added in these situations. She wore long black evening gloves as the finishing touch. She'd liked them when she'd worn them at the fancy dress party and they went well with this outfit, making it elegantly "over-the-top" tarty, which was exactly the look she wanted. She was going to wear her fur coat over the top of it all until they got to club. Apart from covering her up in front of her colleagues for a while longer, it was also freezing outside.

Marsh looked her up and down "Turn round". She did so, slowly.

"Bloody hell Drake" he said "I wouldn't kick you out of bed, that's for sure. Your DCI must be mental to have binned you"

She raised one eyebrow sardonically at him.

"Sorry" he said sheepishly "Shouldn't have said that, should I. Blokes talk, you know. Tom Fletcher mentioned that you used to go out with DCI Hunt"

"Yes, I did" she said, her voice tight.

"Long story?" he asked

"Yup."

"Well, Fletcher wouldn't elaborate on it when I asked him. Want to tell me about it over that drink?"

"Er….. nope. Sorry" Alex smiled with polite finality. Eddie was funny and charming, but there was something just a little too "wide-boy" about him for her to ever take up his offer.

"OK" Marsh shrugged his shoulders and grinned, picking up the briefcase with the drug money in it. "I know when I'm beaten. He's a lucky man even if he doesn't realize it. Right, come on. Let's get going"

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Waltham's club was in an old goods warehouse at the side of King's Cross railway station, left over from the days when the railways had ruled supreme. Loud music spilled out onto the street and there was already a long queue of people waiting to get in. The ground floor was split into two parts, the nightclub on one side and the casino on the other. Customers could move freely between the two if they had the correct tickets and a long bar ran across the back of the building in each area.

Kingsland led them through the entrance lobby, into the nightclub first, as agreed. Marsh, in his role as Eddie Flynn, had to meet and greet his guests. Alex walked with him, hanging off his arm, noting where the undercover officers were placed and how many bouncers there were. Drinks were served and after ten minutes or so, they went across the dance floor and through a set of double doors in to the casino, waiting for Waltham to make an appearance.

The casino was quieter even though it was busy, the doors sound-proofed against the music from the club. At the far end of the room was a flight of stairs. Two very large, serious looking bouncers stood at the bottom of it, clearly ready to refuse access to anyone. Alex looked round the room, checking out all the details. Chris was behind the bar with one other officer and two ordinary bar staff. Shaz was posing as a waitress on table service, fetching drinks for the customers at the gaming tables. Two of Fletcher's team were at the blackjack table, and at the roulette table by the stairs, stood Ray and Gene. He stared at her, refusing to look away and Alex had to turn her back on him to be able to concentrate on what was going on. Marsh looked up at the stairs and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Here he is. Good luck, Honey". Alex giggled as though he's just said something highly amusing and pretended to take a large sip of her drink. When she looked up Harry Waltham was standing right in front of her.

"And who's this Eddie? She's not been here before. I'd have remembered something as rare as this one" he stated, eyes roving over her body. Alex felt a cold shiver run down the length of her spine. No wonder Gene had warned her about this man. He was like the devil, she thought, so handsome and so charming but, pure evil underneath it all. All her instincts screamed at her to get as far away from him as she could.

"This is Honey" replied Eddie "She's my little piece of sweetness, aren't you, precious?" Marsh laughed and squeezed her tightly round the waist. "Say hello to Mr. Waltham, Honey"

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Waltham." Alex smiled at him, holding out her hand to him, boldly looking him up and down from head to toe.

He took her hand and leaned into kiss her cheek. "Oh, now there's an accent I so rarely hear in a place like this. Something tells me you're not your usual working girl. How on earth did someone like you end up with Eddie?"

"I'm a hedonist by nature, Mr Waltham. I like a good time. Eddie knows how to show me one" Alex gave him a slow, knowing smile. Just stay clam, she told herself. Everything will be fine. There are people watching out for you.

"S'true, Harry. She's a convent girl gone bad. Got a fierce little cocaine habit this one has, and a fierce little body to earn it with too" Marsh slapped Alex on the backside and kissed her cheek "Exhausts me, she does, but I'm not complaining"

Gritting her teeth but outwardly giggling, she snuggled closer to Marsh, only too aware of Gene watching her every move.

"On with the business at hand, I think Gentleman." Waltham indicated for them to go upstairs. "Ladies first"

He stood back to let Alex pass, following behind them. Alex knew he was staring at her legs as she walked. When she reached the roulette table where Gene was, she forced herself not to look up at him. She wished desperately that she could go to him and say sorry, for him to wrap his arms round her and tell her that everything was going to be OK.

He continued to stand where he was, watching her, so close to her that she had to brush against him as she moved past. She could feel his gaze burning into her cheek and without stopping to think about it, she stroked her fingers fleetingly against his as she went by. She heard his sharp intake of breath, and then she was gone, moving past him up the stairs.

As Shaz came past, Waltham clicked his fingers to get her attention. "Bring some champagne upstairs."

When they reached the first floor, Waltham shepherded them along a corridor, and into a large room, tastefully decorated in the style of an expensive hotel. Several sofas and low tables were arranged in groups around the walls and there was a small bar area at the far end. It was obviously where the brothel customers meet the girls, buying them drinks and making their choice. Now it was empty of anyone but them, and the two bouncers, who stood by the door.

Shaz came in a couple of minutes later, carrying a tray with the champagne and glasses on it. She placed it on the table by Waltham and hurried out. Going back down to the casino, she collected more drinks from Chris, and made her way over to Ray and the Guv, giving them the details of everything she'd just seen. Gene was beside himself with anger and worry, his jaw clenched tight. He grabbed the whisky she'd brought him and drained it in one gulp. Shaz saw his hand shake as he replaced the glass.

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Alex studied Waltham, as the men began to talk business, finalizing the details of the deal. She'd known he was good looking, she'd seen photos of him in his file. What she hadn't expected was that he would be so devastatingly handsome in the flesh. He had a face like an angel. His features were model perfect, the archetypal blond, public school boy. All except for his eyes; he had eyes like a snake. Alex could see the cruelty in the blue depths of them and it had made her stomach contract with fear. When he's kissed her cheek she'd had to force herself not shudder at his touch as his tongue had darted out to lick at her skin before she'd broken the contact.

Kingsland played his part well, but it was obvious to Alex that he too, was genuinely scared of Waltham. Only the promise of reduced prison time had induced him to do this it would seem. Marsh, on the other hand was totally relaxed, sitting back sipping his drink, talking quantities and delivery dates.

Alex paced around the room, unwillingly to sit down. She listened carefully to every word Waltham said, remembering it for her statement later. She watched as the cocaine was sampled by Kingsland and Marsh, the former snorting it enthusiastically, the latter rubbing round him gums. Marsh saw her watching him and shrugged.

"Kind of hard to refuse, isn't it Honey. It's nice of Harry to let us sample the goods" he said, in explanation.

Waltham offered her the mirror on which he'd cut the cocaine, just two lines of white powder remained. Alex looked at Marsh for her cue. He laughed and caught Waltham's arm, pulling it away from Alex.

"Oh no, you don't, you little devil. You have to earn your reward from me, precious. Haven't I warned you, never take sweeties from strange men"

He smiled at Waltham "Seriously mate, don't give her any. She's not done her job this evening, if you get my drift, and she's on my payroll, at present"

Waltham gave Marsh a long, hard stare and turned back to Alex "Should you ever wish to reconsider your current employment, my dear, I'd be only too happy to find a position for you with me." His meaning was all too clear and Alex made no reply other than to look at him steadily.

He turned away, motioning to one of the bouncers. "Fetch Scarlet for me, would you? Mr. Kingsland seems to be lacking in female companionship. And let the other girls know they're allowed out to play now I've finished doing business. They've customers waiting for them downstairs"

The bouncer disappeared and Alex concentrated on the final stages of the deal, watching the bags of cocaine being counted into Eddie's briefcase and the bundles money being counted out onto the table.

"Mr. Flynn, Mr. Kingsland, I think we have a deal. A pleasure to do business with you both" Waltham gestured to the other bouncer, who gathered up the money and left the room, holding the door open as he left for a pretty, blonde girl. She was dressed in a tight sleeveless, black dress, very short and very low cut. Her hair was tousled and she had dark, smoky make-up around her eyes. Her lips were a slash of red in her pale, almost bloodless face and as she walked past Alex, the needle tracks in the crook of her elbow were clearly visible for a second.

"Scarlet, my dear, entertain Mr. Kingsland this evening, would you please? Be very nice to him. He's just paid me a lot of money for the pleasure of you"

Scarlet nodded, her expressionless face breaking into a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes. She slipped her arm through Kingsland's as Waltham lent down and whispered briefly in her ear.

"Well, that's the business part of the evening over and done with. Shall we get on with pleasure part?" Waltham smiled expansively at them all, his gaze lingering on Alex. "Let's all go back down stairs and try our luck at the tables. Scarlet, why don't you take Eddie's precious girl to freshen up before she goes? I'm sure she'd like to look her best for all the fun we're going to have."

Alex looked at Marsh, wondering whether or not to leave. She knew it was imperative that they remained in character until they knew that uniform back up was on the way. On the other hand she was uneasy at being split up from him. She was worried that his judgement may well have been affected by the cocaine he'd just had. He's my senior officer, she thought, I have to follow his orders.

He nodded. "Off you go, love. Deal's done and dusted now. I'll wait for you downstairs, before I get stuck in"

Alex, reading the subtext of his words, picked up her bag and followed the girl from the room, deciding that she wouldn't go with Scarlet; she'd go back downstairs to the Ladies in the Casino. Scarlet walked quickly, taking no notice of the other working girls who were exiting from the various rooms that opened off the corridor. Alex stopped and called after her.

"Scarlet! Can't we just go to the Ladies downstairs? Scarlet?"

She'd turned a corner and Alex couldn't see her any more. She heard a door open behind her and a hand came over her mouth, so suddenly that she had no time to scream. She struggled, trying to elbow her attacker in the ribs, but she was held too tightly. Alex felt a blinding pain in her right temple and a bright light exploded behind her eyes, then there was nothing but darkness as she felt herself falling.


	20. Chapter 20

**This was very difficult to write. It was really hard to try and strike a balance between too much and not enough nasty bits. They had to be written as I couldn't move the story on without them. Let's face it, I'd made Waltham such a nasty charater, there was no way he just wanted Alex to have tea and cakes with him, was there! I've tried hard not to be too graphic but if you're not happy about Alex being in a very sexually threatening situation, then just skip to the end.**

Gene stood with Ray and Shaz, watching Marsh, Waltham and Kingsland talking at the bar. Waltham was handing out casino chips to them both, giving Chris instructions that they were to have whatever they wanted to drink. One of the bouncers from upstairs came over to talk to Waltham, drawing him away from Marsh, whispering to him in a low tone.

Harry Waltham smiled in satisfaction and turned back to Eddie. "If you'll just excuse me for a few moments, Mr Kingsland, Mr Flynn? There are a couple of issues I have to deal with in the other bar" He left them, walking swiftly away towards the double doors. Gene never took his eyes from him.

"I don't like this" he muttered to Ray "Why've they let 'im leave? And where's DI Drake? Shaz, see if you can get back upstairs and have a look for 'er. Don't take any risks, whatever you do; I don't want you going AWOL as well"

"Yes Guv" Shaz hurried off, grabbing a tray from the bar as she went.

"Want me to find out what's going on ,Guv?" Ray asked and Gene nodded, curtly. Ray ambled over to the bar, leaning causally next to Marsh and ordering more drinks from Chris.

"The Guv wants to know why you've let Waltham swan off? You've not given the signal either. Is the deal not done then?"

Marsh grinned at him complacently "Of course it is. Waltham's only gone next door to sort out something in the other bar. I'm just letting Harry's girls snap up a few customers. If we can bust this place when the brothel's actually got punters in it, we've a stronger case."

Ray said nothing, but privately, he thought it was a very bad idea. The longer they left Waltham to his own devices, the more the chance there was of something going wrong. Both Hunt and Fletcher would go nuts if they found out what Marsh was doing.

"Where's DI Drake?" he asked.

"Powdering her pretty little nose. She went off with one of Waltham's girls."

Ray shook his head in disbelief and went back over to report the conversation to Gene. His reaction was just as Ray had predicted.

He strode over to Marsh and squared up to him, chin thrust out aggressively, fists clenched. Frank Kingsland watched silently.

"DI Drake hasn't come back downstairs yet, Marsh" hissed Gene, menacingly "How long ago was it you let her go off on her own? I make it at least five minutes by now since you came back downstairs without her"

Marsh laughed patronizingly "Calm down, Hunt. We weren't up there very long after she'd left. She's probably doing her make-up. Women take ages to have a piss, too busy gossiping. She'll be back in a minute, don't worry"

Gene looked at him in fury, his mouth set in a hard line. "I'm telling you, there's something wrong. Alex doesn't take this long to fix her slap."

"Don't be stupid! How on earth would you know something like that?"

Gene's voice shook as he replied through gritted teeth "Because I lived with DI Drake for months. I watched her put her make-up on every morning. I know _exactly_ how long it takes." He fought to contain his anger, jabbing his finger into Marsh's chest "It doesn't matter how I know, I just do! We give Fletcher the signal, right this minute! Ray, go and tell WPC Coombes that this ends _now_!"

Ray hurried off, looking worried. Marsh shrugged, turning away "Your call" he said "If it all goes tits up, I'll tell my superiors that too"

Gene leaned forward, his face inches from Marsh's, eyes blazing "You left her alone." he snarled "If anything happens to DI Drake, I'll damage you so badly, you won't be able to tell anyone your bloody name, let alone bleat to your Superintendent!"

Shaz reappeared, her face pale and drawn. "No sign of her Guv, but I found this on the floor at the end of the corridor. She held up her hand. The heart pendant glittered, the clasp bent and twisted as though it had been ripped from Alex's neck. "She always wears it. Even though you're not together anymore…." she stopped, seeing the look on Gene's face.

"Yes, thank you Shaz, but wittering on about me and DI Drake is not exactly helping matters, is it!" he snapped, running a hand through his hair, distractedly. "We need to know where Waltham's gone. Find him, we find Alex"

Frank Kingsland laughed cruelly "Seems as though she's going to get to play with Harry after all. If you're lucky you might find her in one piece" He jerked backwards as Gene's fists smashed into his face. Gene hit him again and again, blood pouring from Kingsland's nose as he staggered under the force of the blows. Marsh grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Enough! That's not going to get her back!"

"I'm warming myself up on this piece of scum and then I'm coming after you, Marsh!" Gene roared, shaking him off. "You're responsible for this! You let her out of your sight!"

He leaned on the bar, closing his eyes briefly, breathing hard. He turned and took the necklace from Shaz, closing his hand round it tightly for a moment before tucking it carefully into his jacket pocket.

Ray came running back "Fletcher's on his way in now. Waltham's not in the nightclub. No one's seen him. He went into the stock room at the back of the bar and we can't find him"

"Right! Marsh! Search the stock rooms, now! Chris! Cuff Kinsland to the bar. The plods can collect him later. Ray, with me, upstairs. Shaz, you as well. You can show us where you found the necklace."

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Alex struggled to open her eyes, but her head hurt badly and she couldn't move her arms for some reason. She took a deep breath and willed her eyes to open and focus. The first thing she saw was a girl on a bed, half sitting up against the headboard, her arms stretched out along it. The second thing that registered was that the girl's wrists were handcuffed to the metal posts of the bed. She's in trouble, thought Alex groggily, peering at her. As her brain took in more detail, she realized, with a feeling of dawning terror, that she was looking at a reflection in a huge mirror propped against the wall. The girl on the bed was her.

A figure moved in the mirror. A clown. Alex knew that there was something terrifying about this vision, but she couldn't remember anything. She'd seen it before, it was important, but the pain in her head was all consuming, dragging the memory away. It moved back into the mirror, becoming blurred.

A sharper pain shot through her temple and she sucked in her breath in agony. Another figure moved towards her now and this was not a reflection. Harry Waltham stood over her, smiling, his blue eyes bright in the dim light. He sat on the bed next to her, stroking his fingers up her leg. She jerked away from him and his fingers tightened round her thigh, digging into her, hurting her.

"Honey my dear, how nice of you to wake up. Welcome to my little private bit of Fantasy, the place where my dreams come true." He laughed softly, moving closer to her. "Unfortunately for you, I'm afraid, my dreams are going to be the stuff of your worst nightmares" He tipped his head to one side, considering her.

"I've never had one of my own sort to play with before." He bent down and whispered in her ear "I'd like to keep you for a very long time, but I'm afraid that's just not going to be possible. Your Mr. Flynn will be very cross you've disappeared, but I'm sure I can find him a replacement"

His tongue flicked out and licked down the side of her neck and Alex felt bile rise in her throat. She struggled desperately against the handcuffs, but she knew was useless. He'd done this too many times to have made any mistakes. He'd even removed her gloves so that her wrists wouldn't slip so easily in the cuffs. She struggled not to cry, knowing that would excite him more. All she could do was pray that someone would notice her absence and be looking for her. Help me Gene, she begged silently, please help me. I need you.

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Ray ran down the corridor after the Guv, flinging open the doors as he went, surprising the girls and their customers, frantically looking for any trace of Alex. Shaz reached a door at the end of the building and twisted the door handle, rattling it hard.

"It's locked, Guv. The necklace was on the floor just here."

Gene took a step back and kicked the door open with one booted foot. A flight of stairs led up to the next floor. "Waltham's' private rooms. Come on" Gene was gone, taking the stairs two at a time in his haste.

By the time Ray reached the top, Gene was stood in the middle of the room, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Harry Waltham's flat was one big room, kitchen, bedroom and sitting room areas all clearly on display. Ray could see a bathroom over to the left through an open door. He moved towards it and Gene shook his head.

"There's nothing in there. She's not here Ray." He looked up at him, his face haunted, the fear showing clearly in his eyes. "He's taken her somewhere else. I've lost her" He didn't even try to hide the anguish in his voice.

Ray didn't know what to say. He reached an arm out to Gene and let it drop uselessly. "We should go back down to the club. Maybe someone's found something there"

Gene nodded, rubbing a hand across his face "You're right" His voice was flat and empty.

As they reached the casino stairs, Chris came pounding up them, shouting for Gene "There's a lift Guv! A freight lift left over from when it was a warehouse! It's right at the back of the store rooms. They broke a door down and there it was!"

Gene started to run, hurling himself down the stairs. "Show me!"

As they crossed the floor of the casino, the place was in uproar. Uniformed coppers were everywhere, at least a dozen of Waltham's staff were in handcuffs and the nightclub customers were being rounded up and processed one at a time. Gene ran straight through them all, shouldering people out of the way in his haste.

"Hunt!" DCI Fletcher was shouting from a doorway behind the bar. "Over here!" He had hold of the young blonde girl that Waltham had chosen for Kingsland. "Scarlet says Waltham got her to lead Alex away down the corridor. One his bouncers grabbed her and took her off somewhere. She doesn't know where, she says you get there in a lift. We've found the lift and we've found out that Waltham also owns the building next door to this one. The ground floor's used as an extra store room, but the rest of the pace is strictly out of bounds to staff. Waltham's told them the floor and the roof are rotten and it's not safe."

Gene took Scarlet's shoulders in his hands and lent down to speak to her. The girl was dreamy and vague "Is this true Scarlet?" he asked her urgently "It's very important that you tell me the truth. I need to find Alex"

Scarlet looked up at him her eyes dull "It's true" she whispered "You'll have to hurry. Some girls don't come back again. He only took me there once, but it's where he hurts people. He likes it when you cry"

Ray saw Gene struggle hard to hold in the panic that flashed across his face for an instant, before he turned to the others, snapping out orders, focusing on what needed to be done to find Alex.

"I'll go up in the lift with DS Carling. Marsh, you take some officers and go outside. Try and find a fire escape, another means of access. Fletcher, you stay here and have your men cover all the exits in this building."

"Maybe I should go up in the lift, Hunt?" queried Marsh "It could get nasty up there"

Gene looked him up and down with contempt "Oh, it'll get nasty alright when I find Waltham. DI Drake's my officer, from my station. I go in the lift. Ray! With me!"

He was gone, stepping through the door that led to the store rooms, his face resolute. Marsh left, conceding defeat, shouting out orders to several other CID officers.

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Her head ached so much that she could hardly focus now. She could feel that Waltham had moved from the edge of the bed. He sat facing her, kneeling across her legs, pinning her down. She knew in her heart that there would be no reasoning with him, no chance of establishing some sort of dialogue. Waltham was beyond that sort of approach. He laughed as she shrank from his touch, running his fingers over her cheek, her neck, the curve of her breasts.

"Honey" he chided "Anyone would think you didn't like me. You'll soon learn. Your whole world will be me, soon. You'll beg me and beg me to make it stop. I have that power, and you'll have to realize that before we can be friends. Then, sadly, we'll have to say goodbye, I'm afraid."

He lent forward and kissed her. His hand clutched at her breast and squeezed viciously. Alex bit him, making him pull away sharply, his face twisting with fury.

"Not so sweet after all, I see." He back-handed her hard across the cheek, his eyes bright with rage and Alex felt her lip split, tasting the blood in her mouth. Her eye started to swell and close almost immediately with the force of the blow. Waltham moved away and Alex thought she saw the clown figure in the mirror again, just for an instant. The pain in her temple was agonizing, drilling into her skull. It was hard to think now; the fear and the pain were making her almost physically sick.

Waltham returned to kneel on the bed again, between her legs now and she saw the knife glinting in his hand. Alex struggled desperately; panic making her breath come in ragged gasps. Where was Gene? She was going to die without seeing him again. The thought was unbearable, she loved him, she needed him. He was the only person she wanted in the world and he wasn't with her.

She fought in vain to stem the tears of panic and loss that were running down her cheeks. She wrenched at the cuffs, still trying to slip her hands out, fighting not to give in to the terror. He leaned forward, his face twisted in a grotesque leer. He slipped the knife under the laces of her corset and cut upwards, slicing them undone.

"Playtime, Honey" he laughed, looking at her in delight, his desire for her written plain across his face. He was cutting her skirt away now, her silk knickers. She felt the knife cold against her inner thigh and then a sharp burning pain and she knew he'd cut her. Looking down, Alex saw a long thin cut up the inside of her thigh, her stocking ripped open and the blood welling slowly out. She closed her eyes, realizing that there was now nothing she could do. Panic engulfed her and she screamed out Gene's name in desperation, the sound wrenched from her throat against her will, knowing that it was useless. No-one was going to come and save her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The cage-like freight lift moved slowly. Ray looked at the floor, not wanting to look at Gene. The expression on the Guv's face was too raw, the fear of what they might find all too obvious. As it jerked to a stop, Gene wrenched open the doors, stepping out into the top floor of the warehouse. It was deserted. Over in the far corner was an office, from the days when the warehouse foreman had done his accounts in there. There were no windows, but a light shone from under the door. As Gene started to move towards it, they heard Alex's scream, shocking in the stillness.

Gene ran, kicking the door open, barrelling his way inside. He saw Alex, spread out on the mattress, Waltham looming over her, the knife in his hand trailing up the inside of her thigh. He grabbed at Waltham's collar in blind fury, wrenching him away from her, throwing him bodily into the mirror. The glass exploded, showering Waltham with shards. Gene dragged him up and smashed his head into the wall, once, twice. Waltham went limp in his grasp and Gene flung him away in disgust, towards Ray who was standing in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

"Get him away from her, Ray!" he roared, moving across to Alex, grabbing the handcuff keys from the floor by the bed. In her terror and pain she wasn't sure if Gene was hallucination, like the clown. All she knew was that he was there with her, where she needed him. She saw his hands shake as he tried to fit the keys into the locks. She heard the click as the cuffs fell away and felt the warmth of his body as he gathered her into his arms. He was real, alive. Alex clung to him, shaking uncontrollably.

"It's OK, sweetheart. It's OK. You're safe. I'm here now." he murmured, holding her close, one hand stroking her hair.

Outside there was more noise, shouting, the sounds of running feet across the warehouse floor. She heard DCI Marsh's voice "Have you got him? Is Drake OK?"

Gene pulled away from her briefly "Keep them out Ray" he snarled over his shoulder "I don't want any of them to see her like this"

"Yes Guv" Ray had hauled the unconscious Waltham out of the room and now he stood firmly in the doorway, blocking it. "She's fine. DCI Hunt's with her. Leave them be."

Gene turned back to Alex, stroking her hair back from her face gently. "Jesus, Bolly. You had me…. all of us, worried there for a minute." She heard the strain in his voice; saw the worry in his eyes.

She lent against his chest, wrapping her arms round him and feeling the solid, reassuring bulk of him.

"I thought I was going to die. I thought I'd never see you again." Her words came out as a series of sobs. Gene held her tighter to him and she heard him whisper into her hair "No. I'd never let that happen Bolly. I'm always here for you……….. Always"

She felt him take a deep breath and he pulled gently away from her. The look in his eyes was unbearable to see, pain and anguish, loss and longing. Alex saw him start to say something, and then stop as DCI Marsh shouted through the doorway to him.

"There's an ambulance arrived downstairs. Do you need the crew to come up here? Carling says DI Drake's face is a mess" Gene sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Nice one Ray" he muttered. He turned, calling back to Marsh.

"No! We're fine. Tell them to stay where they are. We'll come down to them"

She crossed her arms over her chest, pulling the torn corset round her, trying and failing to cover herself up. She looked up at Gene helplessly. "Ray" he shouted, his eyes never leaving hers, "Get someone to fetch my coat from downstairs! Now!"

They sat in silence, Gene holding her hand, his thumb brushing over hers, soothingly. Alex lent her head on his shoulder and forced herself to concentrate on nothing but the sensation of his skin on hers. He reached into his pocket and took out a clean handkerchief. The sight of it made Alex smile weakly to herself. He shifted round to face her, taking her chin in his hand and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks and the blood from her mouth. He looked down at the cut on her thigh and hesitated. "Here" he said unsteadily, handing her the handkerchief "You'd better sort that out. I might hurt you" He met her eyes briefly and looked away, uncomfortably, obviously unsure of how to be with her.

"Is my face a mess?" she asked, holding the handkerchief on her bleeding thigh, and she was surprised at how small and broken her voice sounded.

Gene reached out and stroked her uninjured cheek with his finger, softly "No Alex." he said quietly "Your face isn't a mess. It's a bit bruised, but you look beautiful. You always do"

There was a knock on the door frame and Ray's arm appeared through the gap, holding out Gene's black coat. "Here you are, Guv."

He let out a ragged breath. "Right. Come on. Let's get you downstairs. Someone does really need take a look at that eye" He stood up, taking the coat from Ray. He held out his hand to help her up. "Can you walk?" he asked "What on earth possessed you to wear those bloody, ridiculous shoes?" He was brisk now, the mask back in place.

So this is how we're going to play it now, is it? thought Alex. OK, I can do this. She looked at him, willing herself not to cry. She had to be strong. She wasn't some silly girl, she was a police officer and she could deal with this. She just had to stay calm. She stood up carefully, her legs shaky. Gene's arm shot out to grab her elbow as she staggered.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She took another step and managed to stay on her feet.

"Here" he shook out his coat and wrapped it carefully round her. Alex was suddenly reminded of the last time he'd done something similar with his jacket, the night he'd been shot. Her heart ached with longing. There was no-one else in the world she wanted more than this strong, uncomplicated, beautiful man. She thought she'd lost him forever, but when she'd needed him, when she'd called out for him, he'd been there. He'd saved her.

"Better?" he asked her gruffly. She nodded, the tears threatening to come again. Taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she winced in pain as she touched the bruised skin of her left eye. Alex walked from the room, squaring her shoulders, head high. She looked at no-one, just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Not wanting to trust herself on the fire escape, she made for the lift. Gene got in with her, taking her arm protectively. He pulled the doors shut and the lift creaked down slowly. Neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.


	21. Chapter 21

Gene waited outside in the corridor whilst a doctor examined her. The ambulance crew had patched her up and insisted on taking her to hospital. Gene had sent Shaz with her in the ambulance, muttering something about her needing her privacy.

When the doctor had left and she was settled in the bed, he came back into the room, standing just inside the door, awkward and obviously desperate to be anywhere else but there.

"I'll come back and get you in the morning. I'll take you to Collier Street so you can make your statement to DCI Fletcher. They've told me they're keeping you in overnight 'cos you've been knocked over the head, and …. well, you know " he dropped his eyes from hers, clearly uncomfortable about discussing what had happened.

He turned to go and then swung back, as if about to say something. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.

"'Night, Alex" he said, quietly and he was gone.

Alex listened sadly to the sound of his footsteps as they faded away. The sedatives they'd given her had made her groggy and nauseous. Her head still ached badly and her wrists throbbed where she'd scored deep welts into her skin, trying to escape the cuffs. The cut on her thigh hurt when she moved, but the doctor had said it wasn't deep and shouldn't leave a scar.

Feeling a heavy weight across the bottom of the bed, she looked down and saw Gene's coat. She'd laid it there when the nurse had helped her into a hospital gown and Gene had forgotten to take it with him. Reaching out, she took hold of the collar and drew it up over her, pulling it round her chin and breathing in the familiar, comforting scent of him. He'll be cold without it, Alex worried, dozily, feeling exhaustion wash over her. She sank into a deep and thankfully dreamless sleep.

She woke to find Shaz sitting beside her bed. She was simultaneously pleased and disappointed to see her there but said nothing, just glad that someone was there at all. She'd hoped that it would have been Gene who'd sat by her bed waiting for her to wake, but he was probably back at the station, still interviewing suspects. Shaz' face brightened when she saw Alex was awake.

"The Guv brought me with him. He's waiting outside. I've got you clean clothes, from your locker."

Alex smiled gratefully at her, feeling her heart jump at the thought that Gene was there after all, as he said he would be "Thank you. That's really thoughtful."

Shaz looked sheepish. "Wasn't my idea Ma'm. It was the Guv's. He picked the lock of your locker to get your stuff."

Alex dressed quickly as she could, trying not to wince as she moved her wrists, splashing her face carefully with cold water to wake herself up. After the doctor had seen her, he pronounced her fit to be discharged, giving her some sedatives, "to ease the shock and help you sleep" he told her. "You've had quiet an ordeal, DI Drake. Just take it easy for a few days."

She and Shaz made their way outside to find Gene. He was sitting in the Audi, right outside the hospital entrance, in blatant disregard of the parking regulations. Alex could see the cigarette smoke drifting lazily out of the open driver's window. She opened the door clumsily, the tendons in her wrists protesting at having flex so much. Shaz climbed into the back without comment.

"Everything OK?" he asked, glancing at Alex quickly "All sorted out with the doctor?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Got my drugs" she said, shaking the bottle at him "Sleeping tablets" she elaborated when he gave her a puzzled look" Thanks for the lift. I know you must be busy" She was awkward, unsure of how to be with him.

"S'OK" Gene replied brusquely, concentrating on the road, accelerating away at speed in his normal high-risk fashion.

Alex was still slightly groggy and she paid no attention to the route Gene was taking. He didn't seem inclined to talk and Shaz was silent too, either with fear or excitement, Alex didn't know which. She frowned in surprise when he pulled up outside her house.

"Thought you'd want to shower…you know… make yourself feel a bit better. They can wait for your statement. It's more important for you to feel OK…" he tailed off and stared straight ahead through the windscreen.

Alex sat still, not knowing how to react to the concern that he was showing her. She felt that if she thought about too much, she'd cry. The tears were dangerously near the surface and she chewed her bottom lip, forcing herself to think of something else.

"Haven't got my keys," she muttered "They were in my bag at the club"

Gene looked at her for one long moment before turning off the engine of the car. He pulled the car keys from the ignition and sorted through the bunch. Singling out a Yale key, he offered it to her in silence.

"Thank you" She climbed slowly from the car, Shaz following behind her. Gene remained where he was.

"You coming in?" Alex asked and he shook his head, tersely.

"Nope" He looked down, ruefully and then turned away from her, gazing out of the window.

"Ok" Alex shrugged, pushing down the hurt inside her. "I won't be long"

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She showered and did her make-up as quickly as she could, covering up some of the bruising on her face. She still looked like she'd been punched but at least the bruises weren't so lurid looking. It was cold outside and she felt the need to wrap herself up, pulling her jeans back on and swapping the shirt Shaz had brought her from the station for a long, black sweater in soft wool. There was a knock at the bedroom door and Shaz appeared.

"I love your house Ma'm. It's gorgeous. The kitchen's really cozy. The Guv's right, it does feel like home."

She stopped, aware of what she'd just said, that she'd given away one of Gene's confidences.

"The Guv said that, Shaz?" Alex looked at her quizzically.

"Yes Ma'm, but please don't tell 'im I told you. He was drunk one night in Luigi's, rambling on about how he hated going upstairs to his flat, all on his own. Told me that the only place he'd ever felt at home was in your house, with you. Said it was his private piece of heaven. You and 'im, sitting on the sofa, sleeping in your bed" she blushed. "I shouldn't have said anything, Ma'm. I'm sorry"

"I won't tell him that you said anything. That's really nice though. I didn't expect him to still feel like that."

"Of course he does Ma'm. The Guv's crazy about you. That's why he's sat outside, he doesn't know how to deal with it that's all. You should have seen 'im, in the club, when he realised you were missing. I thought he'd tear the place apart with his bare hands" Shaz smiled sadly. "I wish you'd both sort it out though. He hates being on his own and you don't like it either. You always look so sad these days."

Alex sighed, grabbing a tissue from the box beside table and blowing her nose hard. "I wish we could sort it out too, but he was absolutely clear on the fact that he couldn't deal with the differences between us, and I'm not going to ask him to change his mind. I can't risk him saying no. He's a man of very fixed ideas."

Shaz shook her head in exasperation "Well, let's hope that all this makes 'im realise what he's nearly lost"

Pulling on her black boots, Alex went down the stairs. I bloody well hope so, she thought miserably.

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It may have been a Saturday but, Collier Street was busy, still packed with officers interviewing detainees from the raid. DCI Fletcher came to meet Alex at the front desk, hugging her briefly. "You're OK?" he asked "I was so worried about you. I can't believe Marsh let you go off on your own like that. There'll be a disciplinary hearing about it, don't you worry. I'll make sure of that."

He stopped, looking over Alex's shoulder. "Good Morning, DCI Hunt. Feeling calmer after all the drama of last night?" Gene maintained a stony silence, leaning against the wall, staring at his boots.

Tom turned to Alex. "Your DCI was a force to be reckoned with, by all accounts. Punched Kingsland, squared up to Eddie Marsh and rescued you. The hero of the hour. I wonder what he does for an encore" Unobserved by anyone but her, Tom gave her a naughty wink. She grinned at him, shaking her head "Well, you're never likely to find out are you" she whispered.

"But a man can dream, my dear. I alays like to live in hope" he murmured back

"Right, let's get this interview over and done with" Alex continued in a normal tone of voice, seeing Gene giving the two of them a black look.

Gene remained where he was, sending her into the interview room with Shaz, shaking his head tersely when Fletcher asked if he wanted to be present as Alex's senior officer.

"I'll wait here" was all he said.

Half an hour later, Alex and Shaz emerged from the double doors into reception. "Glad that's over with" sighed Alex. Gene sitting, waiting, still grim-faced.

"Must have been difficult for you though, going through it all again" Shaz smiled at her sympathetically.

Gene shifted uncomfortably "Right. I'll take you home, then"

"No you won't" retorted Alex "I'm coming to the station with you. I've still got my report on the op to file."

He looked at her in frustration "Alex, you can't come back to work. You've been…."

She held up her hand to cut him off "I'm coming with you. I need something to do. I want to go into the station and sit at my old desk, and listen to you lot talk bollocks while I try to work." She gave him a small smile. "Please Guv? I don't want to be on my own"

He pushed his mouth forward into that pout that still sent Alex's heart into orbit, and then sighed.

"OK. Get in the car"

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Alex wasn't entirely convinced it had been a good idea of hers to insist on coming to work, but she just wanted to be with Gene. The rest of the team treated her carefully; mindful of the warning glance the Guv had given them all when she'd turned away from them for an instant. Ray even brought her a mug of tea. "Thanks, Ray" she said in surprise.

"That's ok. Shaz made it though. I just carried it in here." He smiled at her, but couldn't quite meet her eyes. Not surprised, thought Alex, the last time he saw me, I was virtually naked and screaming hysterically.

She was fine for a while, writing out her report methodically, concentrating hard on recalling all of the conversation between Marsh and Waltham. Gene leaned out of his office and caught her eye, indicating with a jerk of his head that he wanted to talk to her. She sat on the edge of his desk, trying to look unconcerned, concentrating on clicking the lid her pen on and off.

He watched her for a moment through narrowed eyes. "I've got to go back up to Collier Street. I'm interviewing Waltham with DCI Fletcher. Don't know how long I'll be. You gonna be OK?" he asked.

Alex nodded briskly "Yes, lots to do here. I'll be OK. You go" Her stomach fluttered nervously at the thought of him not being around. She clicked the pen lid harder, not looking at him.

He moved closer to her, taking the pen away from her and slipping his fingers into hers. "You sure?" He looked worried. Alex closed her eyes briefly at the touch of his skin on hers. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Yes, I'm sure. Go on, off you go. DCI Fletcher will be wondering were you've got to"

"Any problems, you ring me" Gene gave her a stern silver-eyed looked and was gone, striding out the door "Ray! A word, outside." Alex sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt lost already without him.

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She was leaning back in her chair, re-reading through her report, when DC Ellis walked behind her on his way to one of the filing cabinets. The Guv had been gone an hour or so and Ray was watching her closely, having been told to, in no uncertain terms, by Gene.

"You look after her, Ray. I don't want anyone upsetting her. She went through hell last night. One of those morons so much as breathes the wrong way near her, you let me know"

Ray saw Alex freeze as Ellis brushed past her, the blood draining from her face. Her hands shook and she stood up so suddenly her chair crashed to the ground. Ray went over to her desk to try and calm her down but she was already moving, backing away from Ellis, her eyes wide with fear. She knocked into Ray, starting in fright, pushing him away hard as he reached out a hand to her. Alex ran from the CID room, crashing through the doors in blind panic. Everyone else remained where they were, rooted to the spot in disbelief.

Ray took charge, knowing that Gene would go ballistic if he didn't handle this the right way. "Shaz, go and find her. Chris, ring Collier Street and speak to the Guv. Tell him DI Drake's had a funny turn and I'm taking 'er home. Tell 'im to meet us there"

Once Shaz had found her in the ladies locker room, she had little trouble in persuading Alex to go home. Worried that Alex was still pale and shaken, she walked out with her to the car, where Ray sat waiting.

He said nothing as he drove. Alex knew he was uncomfortable with things like this and would want to get her home and off his hands as soon as possible.

"Sorry, Ray" she offered, in a small voice "Don't know what happened there"

"You're in shock" he replied, surprising her with his reaction. "You do funny things when you've got that. I 'ad it once. I got blown up by a car bomb back up in Manchester. All the fault of that idiot Tyler. I went a bit weird for a bit. I shot someone when I shouldn't have."

He shrugged. "Give 'im 'is due, Tyler did try and warn the Guv I'd gone back to work too soon, but none of us wanted to listen to 'im. You just need to take it easy for a bit Ma'm. It's the weekend. You should just spend it in bed really. I got Chris to ring the Guv. He'll be at yours soon enough"

Alex watched his face as Ray replayed the last bit of the conversation back in his mind. He spoke hurriedly "I didn't mean that like it sounded Ma'm. Sorry." Flustered, he gave her a stricken look. "Oh sod it" he muttered, shaking his head. "Look Ma'm. Maybe that's exactly what you and the Guv should do this weekend, spend it in bed, wi' each other. He's miserable these days. He's had all the fight knocked out of him. He needs you. He'll never admit it for a minute, but he's lost without you" He stopped, aware that he'd said far too much. "He'll sodding kill me if he finds out I've told you that"

Alex smiled sadly "I won't tell him Ray. To tell you the truth I'm lost without him too"

They drove the rest of the way to Alex's house in silence. As they turned into the street, she saw the familiar sight of the Quattro parked outside her front door. There was no-one in it and she walked up the steps and rang the doorbell, guessing that Gene had let himself in. As the door opened, she turned to wave her thanks to Ray, who drew away from the kerb now he knew that she was safe with Gene.

Gene stood framed in the doorway, a tea towel thrown over his shoulder, washing-up suds sticking to his hands. "You can't have washed up for days. There's no bloody clean mugs to make tea in" He looked so incongruous and so pissed off, she started to laugh. As quickly as the laughter came, so did the tears and she began to cry helplessly, huge sobs racking her body. He pulled her to him tightly, pushing the front door shut on the rest of the world, stroking her back softly. "I knew this would happen" he murmured "It all needs to come out. I shouldn't have left you on your own today. Sorry Bolly"

You shouldn't have left me at all! Alex wanted to shout, but the tears stopped her throat and all that came out was a coughing, hiccuping noise. Great she thought, not only am I a snotty, hysterical mess, I sound like a lunatic. As she moved back from him, Gene took her hand, speaking to her gently but firmly. "Alex, you're exhausted. You need to get some sleep. Where's those sleeping pills they gave you at the hospital? Get yourself into bed and take one them. I'll bring you up a cup of tea" It was clear that he wasn't going to take any argument from her. He gave her a concerned look and disappeared downstairs.

Alex didn't even attempt to disagree, knowing that he was right and loving the fact that he was there with her, looking after her. She could hear him moving about in the kitchen, swearing as he opened and shut the cupboards, looking for goodness knows what.

Ten minutes later, she was in her bed, Gene sitting on the edge of the mattress, watching as she took the sleeping pill. She winced at the bitter taste and the heat of the tea.

"I was gonna bring you a biscuit as well, but you've got none. There's nothing to eat in this damn house and I'm starving" He glared at her "You've moved everything around. I can't find that red mug I have my tea out of, either" He sounded like a grumpy teenager.

She looked up at him through her lashes, "I haven't been that hungry recently. Food hasn't really been high on my list of things to worry about. It's no fun eating on your own anyway" She saw him nod in rueful agreement. "I broke the red mug. Sorry" she looked away self-consciously.

"You always were a clumsy tart. You were always dropping things when we did the washing up." He paused "I liked that mug" he said plaintively.

"It's got nothing to do with me being clumsy" Alex retorted "I threw it at the kitchen wall when I found out you'd left"

He said nothing, staring at the floor. She gazed back at him, loving the way his hair flopped over his forehead and that his lips were pursed in a contemplative pout. He sighed heavily and patted her hand as he stood up "Get some sleep." he said firmly. She caught hold of his hand, "Gene…. You'll still be here when I wake up , won't you?" she asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes Bolly. I'll still be here" He gave her one of his rare and beautiful smiles and left the room, pulling the door half shut behind him.

Alex slept for the rest of the afternoon and on through the night, waking early on Sunday morning. She lay in bed for a while, not wanting to get out and go downstairs, scared that Gene may not have stayed. Looking at her watch, she saw it was six in the morning, still dark and chilly. She went downstairs to the kitchen first, putting the kettle on for tea. Gene's coat lay over the back of the sofa and Alex felt her heart constrict with delight at the sight of it.

She made two mugs of tea and padded back upstairs quietly in her bare feet, climbing right up to the top floor. Pushing open the door, she stepped into the spare room, concentrating on nothing but getting the tea onto the bedside table without spilling it. Gene lay face down, spread-eagled across the bed, the duvet, kicked off to one side. Alex stared at him for a moment in the dim light, drinking in the sight of his broad shoulders and his long legs. What she really wanted to do, right at that moment, was climb into bed with him.

She stood there for a while undecided, afraid that she'd make an idiot of herself. After all, he'd given her no indication that he wanted her in that way, for all his care and kindness. She knew that Shaz and Ray had assured her he still did care about her, but until he gave her some indication of that himself, she wasn't going to reveal how much she still needed him. Unable to help herself, she dropped a kiss on his bare shoulder and left quickly as he began to stir. It was still early and he must be as exhausted as she was. Her head still ached dully, but the agonizing pain in her temple had gone.

She climbed back into her bed, sipping her tea and trying to work out the thoughts whirling around in her mind. What had happened at the moment Waltham had attacked her? Had she seen the clown? She couldn't be sure. Had the blinding pain been the bullet finally completing its journey? Was she dead in 2008?

What she did know for certain, was that, at the moment of her potential death, it had been Gene she wanted. No-one else. Did that mean she'd made a choice that she was here in 1981 forever? It was nearly eighteen months since she'd left 2008 and that time was faded and blurry in her memory, no more real than a dream.

Was this how Sam had felt? That 1973 was more real than his proper time? No wonder he'd made the choice he'd made at the end, to go back to it all. He had seven years here, she mused. How many will I have? The thought of having to leave Gene and go on into the unknown, or go back to her own time, was terrifying. She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts, reaching for the bottle of sleeping pills and shaking one out. She swallowed it down, and lay there, curled up as small as she could get, waiting for welcome, dreamless sleep to rescue her.

When she woke for the second time, it was late afternoon. The light shone in to her room from the landing below and she dragged herself out of bed, realizing that she was starving. Wrapping herself up in her dressing gown, she went downstairs to the kitchen. Feeling as though she'd slept for a week, she was reminded of the feeling she'd had as a child when she'd been ill in bed for a long time. Her legs were wobbly, achy and heavy, all at the same time. Everything was slightly off kilter and out of focus, and she still felt exhausted.

Gene was in the kitchen, stretched out across the sofa, reading the papers. A bottle of Glenmorangie was tucked into the crook of his elbow and he held a glass with an inch or so of whisky left in it. He looked up as she shuffled in. "You look like death warmed up" he said, draining the glass and getting up. "Come and sit down and I'll get you some food. When was the last time you eat anything? No wonder you look like a bag of bones"

Alex sank onto the sofa "I told you, I don't have any food Gene. I haven't been shopping for ages"

He opened the fridge with flourish and Alex saw that it was full-up, every last shelf crammed with food. "I got Shaz to go shopping for me. She's bought lots of fruit and veg and stuff…" he tried to look enthusiastic and failed. "Still, we've got lots of biscuits now, and milk, and bread….. and soup. Lots of soup. I'm good at soup. It's easy" he stopped as Alex began to laugh at him.

"Soup's great, Gene" she giggled "Shall I make toast to go with it?"

"Nope. I can do toast too. That's not difficult, either. In fact, little Miss Doubtful, I can make soup and toast at the same time. You just sit there and watch me." He grinned at her like a naughty schoolboy, all rumpled and tousled from a hard afternoon's lazing on the sofa.

Alex did just that, enjoying the sight of him moving around the kitchen, back in her home, where he belonged. He was as good as his word, making them both a bowl of tomato soup and three slices of toast dripping with butter. They ate in silence, Gene wolfing his down in thirty seconds flat.

"Should be roast really, on a Sunday. With all the trimmings, and Yorkshire pudding" he gazed off into the distance. "And proper gravy"

Alex rested her chin on her hand "Is that what your Mum always cooked you on a Sunday?"

"Sometimes, when there was enough money for a joint if Dad hadn't drunk it all away on a Friday. There wasn't usually. Mam used to send me and Stu down to try and cadge some money from him before he spent it all. Or we'd steal what was left of it from his pockets when he'd got back home and fallen asleep. Dad was usually still too drunk on a Sunday to eat dinner with us."

"Your wife then. Did she cook roast?"

He nodded "Then it was me who sometimes didn't come home from the pub or was too drunk to eat. She'd chuck it in the bin. What a bloody waste." He shook his head "Of time, of food, of everything. We waste so much bloody time with nonsense in this life" He turned to look at her, his eyes shinning silver in the light.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened at the station yesterday. Ray said you were fine one minute and off it the next."

Alex shivered "DC Ellis was wearing the same aftershave as Waltham. He walked past me and I caught the smell of it and it just made me panic. Silly really"

"No. Not silly. This will take a long time to sort out Alex. You can't just go back to how it was before. It takes as long as it takes. I don't mind."

After clearing away the dinner things, they sat side by side on the sofa, reading the papers again, just content to be in each other's company. Gene poured her a glass of his Glenmorangie and Alex found that she loved it; it was strong and fiery, yet dark and smooth all at the same time. Just like Gene, she mused. All those contradictions that when put together made up the heart of him. Feeling sleepy, Alex leaned into him and he shifted, moving his arm round her so she could rest her head on his chest. She sat there, listening to the steady beating of his heart, the sound comforting her beyond words.

"I miss this" he said suddenly, so quietly Alex thought she'd misheard him.

She looked up at him. "Carmen's sofa not as comfy as mine, then?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light. "Mind you, I wouldn't want to sit on it after you'd done what she said you did to her on it"

He sighed ruefully, and his face pulled into a embarrassed grimace "I knew you'd find about that. Bloody women, always gossiping. I'm sorry Bolly. I got drunk, I got horny and I was an idiot. It was only once. Shouldn't have done it at all" He hung his head in shame.

Alex shrugged "We've all been there, Gene. Drunk and horny. At least I had the brains not to pick somebody we both worked with"

"So you're not angry with me then" His expression was wary, as if she was leading him onto a trap.

She shook her head. "No, not now. I was angry with you. Not about you shagging her. That's just sex, doesn't have to mean anything. I was angry when I thought that you'd stayed the night with her. Shaz put me right on that one. Bloody women, always gossiping" She smiled at him.

Gene shook his head in disbelief "I will never, as long as I live, understand you lot." He shifted his body, sitting up straighter. "It's late Bolly. You should go back to bed, you still look knackered, and I've got work in the morning"

She gave him a worried look "You're not leaving are you?"

"You're sure you still want me here, then?" The wariness was back on his face

"Yes! I don't want to be on my own!" she wailed.

He smiled "Good. I got Ray to bring a shirt and suit over yesterday, just in case"

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Alex tried to get to sleep without taking another sleeping pill. Two is enough she told herself, you don't want to start relying on them, but whenever she closed her eyes she was back in the club, walking down the corridor with an unseen attacker behind her.

"Ok," she told herself out loud "rationalize this. You are safe. You are in your own bed. Gene is sleeping upstairs. Nothing can happen to you."

She repeated this over and over to herself and gradually she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

She woke screaming, the duvet tangled around her legs, failing her arms in terror. A hand caught hers and she felt the mattress dip as someone sat on the edge of it.

"Hush, Bolly. It's OK. I'm here. It's just a dream" Gene pulled her close to him and rocked her like a child. She sobbed in relief, her breath wrenched from her in gasps. His hands smoothed her back, stroked her hair, holding her until she was breathing normally. Alex gradually became aware that she was leaning against his bare flesh, that he was sitting on her bed in nothing but his boxer shorts.

"Sorry" she whispered to cover up the dizzy feeling she had from the touch of his skin against her hands. "You must be freezing"

"Just a bit Bols. You OK now?" she heard the smile in his voice. "Can I go back to bed and get warm?"

Alex didn't answer him at first, than she took a depth breath and the words rushed out "You could always go back to bed in this bed, with me. It's warm in here"

There was silence. She could make out the dark shape of him against the moonlit window. He answered her cautiously as if not sure he'd heard her correctly. "You sure Alex? You really want me in bed with you?" She could feel his hesitation, his uncertainty.

"Please Gene. I'm scared" she pleaded.

He let out a deep breath and climbed under the duvet beside her, pulling her back against him, curling his arms round her. He lay still, his lower body angled away from her and she could feel the tension in him.

"Thank you" she whispered

"S'OK." There was a moments silence and then Gene's whisper cut through the darkness again. "Bolly? Are you wearing one of my shirts to sleep in?"

Alex was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blush. "Yes. I found it in the washing after you'd moved out. Go to sleep Gene."

Safe in his arms Alex sank back into sleep, blissfully unaware of the fact that Gene remained awake long into the night.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22. Never thought it would get this far. Unashamed smut-fluff in this one. Enjoy**

Alex woke to pale winter sunshine and the feeling of a man's arms holding her. She lay still for a while, delighting in having Gene back in her bed, feeling the length of his body pressed against hers, as he stretched sleepily, nuzzling into her neck. "Mmmmm. You feel so good" he growled lazily, barely awake, his arms tightening around her. Slowly, carefully she traced the line of his jaw, her fingers rasping against the stubble on his chin.

His eyes snapped open at her touch and he stared at her with an expression of bewildered shock.

"Morning" she said softly

Gene blinked and Alex laughed. "Don't look so surprised" she chided

"No, no… it's … it's just odd, that's all. Being here with you….." He untangled himself from her quickly and swung himself up and out of bed. "Tea?" he called as he went downstairs.

Alex frowned to herself. Maybe he doesn't want this, she worried. After all, he hasn't said anything about us, other than he misses sitting on my bloody sofa. She sighed deeply. I'm not going to get worked up about it, she told herself. I'm just going to enjoy the fact that he's here, with me.

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She went into work with Gene despite his protests. "I have to" she explained, "I've got things to do and I have to get back into a routine. It's not going to do me any good to sit at home".

He insisted that she move her things down from the top floor and come and work at her desk in CID. "I'll square it with the Super" he told her. "I don't want you up there in that office on your own. You should be here, with us, where we can keep an eye on you"

"OK" she said casually, turning away to hide her smile.

The week passed quickly, Alex working on her project for the Super, and Ray and Chris staking out a garage that they suspected of dealing in stolen vehicles and car parts. Gene was still very much involved in the Waltham case, interviewing the club staff and various other employees of his business empire, trying to connect everything together in preparation for the preliminary court hearing.

He spent much of his time up at Collier Street with Tom Fletcher, but still came back at half twelve everyday with sandwiches for himself and Alex. They ate them in his office, Gene shutting the door firmly on the rest of the team. He talked about the different cases they were working on, asking for Alex's advice, her view of things. He never mentioned Waltham, changing the subject whenever Alex brought it up. Alex often caught him watching her with a worried expression and he was fiercely protective of her, becoming tense and snappy with the others if he thought they were bothering her. Shaz had told her that he'd threatened to make DC Ellis drink the whole bottle of aftershave if he ever wore that particular brand to office again.

On Friday lunchtime however, he returned to the office with a huge smile on his face. Alex loved it when he smiled. It was like the sun coming out. Everyone visibly relaxed, if the Guv was happy, so were they.

"What's made you so cheery?" she asked, taking the brown paper bag he held out to her. She delved inside, wanting to find out what kind of sandwiches he'd chosen for lunch. He never asked her what she wanted, just assuming that his choice was fine with her and Alex never complained. The very fact that he actually brought her food every day and sat with her to make sure she ate it, spoke volumes. Cheese and pickle in big doorstep slabs of bread. At least it's not fried, she reasoned. No ketchup involved either. Be thankful for small mercies.

The grin got wider until it was of Cheshire Cat-like proportions. "Rebecca Buckingham" he said, with relish in his voice. "We've had the financial boys looking at all of Waltham's legal affairs. She's up to her pretty, little neck in dodgy deals, been paying off witnesses, getting his staff to give Waltham false alibi's, all those sorts of naughty things that judges have no sense of humour about. Little Miss Buckingham's been a very bad girl. If she doesn't get a prison sentence, I'll be very surprised. Either way, she'd never going to be allowed to practice law again"

His eyes gleamed with joy and Alex laughed in delight.

"I'm going to arrest her this afternoon. Fletcher wants to question her but he's gonna let me bring her in. Want to come with me?" he asked, through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Try and bloody stop me" she snorted. She looked at him, her head tipped to one side, cajolingly "We will of course have to handcuff her as we make the arrest, won't we?. I take it we'll be at her chambers or in court and there'll be a nice little audience"

Gene laughed "You're an evil cow, Bolly. Of course I'll make sure we're in a very public place" He took another bite of his sandwich and dropped pickle all down his tie. "Sod it" he said, flicking the chunks of onion off onto the floor.

"Gene!" Alex remonstrated. "That's revolting! Come here, I'll sort it out" She moved round the desk, grabbing the paper napkin from the sandwich bag. He stood up and she began to wipe the marks off the material. "Stand still!" she told him in exasperation, grabbing his shoulder to stop him moving. Concentrating on trying to rescue his tie from oblivion, Alex didn't notice just how close she was standing to Gene. She realized that he was frozen into immobility, staring down at her. Raising her eyes to his face, she met his gaze head-on. Molten silver burned into the heart of her, making her breathless with desire. His pupils were huge, captivated at the sight of her.

He reached up a hand and brushed her cheek with his fingers and the heat from them seared into her skin. His gaze flickered down to her mouth and back up to her eyes. The expression in his eyes was heartbreaking, desire clashing with doubt and pain. He shifted towards her, imperceptibly and then froze as the telephone began to ring, shattering the moment. He jumped, pulling himself away from her, ripping the tie loose from his neck as he picked up the phone.

"DCI Hunt! Wot d'you want!" he roared into it furiously. Alex turned away quietly, going back to her desk to escape the overwhelming physical presence of him. He was going to kiss me, she thought, her mind whirling. Maybe he does want me then. So why didn't he?

She forced herself to stop thinking about it, picking up the phone instead and dialling the number for Rebecca Buckingham's chambers, asking the receptionist about Rebecca's appointments for that afternoon. She needed to find out where she was so that they could bring her in for questioning. When she got off the phone, Gene was standing in the door of his office, looking dishevelled, the points of his collar sticking up where he'd wrenched his tie off.

"That was Tom Fletcher. Wanted to know if I fancied going to the footie on Saturday with a few of his lads. I said I'd check with you first. You OK with that?" He frowned at her questioningly, before ploughing on "It's only for the afternoon. I'll be back later on….. that's if you still want me to… you know.. if I'm still staying at your place. You might not need me to any more……" he gazed at her in mute appeal, little boy lost.

Alex picked up her jacket, coming round from behind her desk.

"Of course I still want you to stay. Football's a great idea. Will you be back in time for dinner though? It's just I was going to cook for you. To say thank you, for looking after me. I'm going to the cinema with Shaz later anyway, so it's not really a problem if you don't want to" she said hurriedly. She tried to be off-hand, not wanting to sound too desperate. She'd been glad to accept Shaz's invitation to the cinema, worried she'd be completely on her own if Gene went back to his flat at the weekend.

He nodded, pouting in concentration, as he considered her request. "OK. Back for dinner. I can do that." He glanced at her quickly, before looking away and then back up at her again, disconcerted.

She regarded at him silently for a minute before reaching out and straightening his collar. "Better" she said, softly, resting her hand over his heart as she had done the first day they'd met. He made no move, just staring at her intently.

"Come on" she said, breaking the spell. "Let's go and arrest that prize bitch of a lawyer"

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Rebecca was at court, in the ladies loos, re-doing her make-up, when Alex and Gene crashed through the door. Gene was at his most physically imposing, shoulders back, coat swirling round his broad frame.

"Excuse me! You can't just walk in here, DCI Hunt! This is the ladies"

"Oh, I can walk in anywhere I like, luv" he snarled at her menacingly, his eyes blazing with triumph. "I'm a copper. It's allowed"

She turned to Alex, her eyes wide in appeal. Alex just shrugged "Sorry" she said insincerely. She leaned closer to Rebecca, holding her gaze challengingly. "Blame his 'delightfully basic attitude'. You know how it is with a man like DCI Hunt. Anything can happen when you take them out in public" She turned to Gene "Shall we?"

"With pleasure" he growled, beginning to read Rebecca her rights as Alex snapped the cuffs on her wrists. The slow walk through the lobby of the court and outside to the waiting police van was one of sheer revenge. Gene spotted a number of people that he knew on the way and stopped to talk to all of them, casually holding onto Rebecca's elbow like she was a dog on lead, tugging her arm to make her walk when he did, not even bothering to look in her direction.

Once she was safely in the van and on her way to Collier Street, Gene turned to Alex with a smile. "Job well done, Bolly. Let's get the paper work done, and then do you fancy a drink?"

"Thought you'd never ask" she grinned.

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They went to Luigi's as usual and Gene got steaming drunk. Alex adopted 'the can't beat them, join them' approach and in the early hours of the morning, the pair of them stumbled up the steps to Alex's house, both trying to reach for their respective door keys. Gene found his keys first and managed somehow, to post them through the letter box, whilst trying to find the keyhole.

"Bugger" he slurred mournfully, bending down and peering though after them. Alex found her key at last and eventually, using both hands to steady it, lined up the key with lock. She undid the door, unaware that Gene was still leaning down, trying to see his keys through the slit of the letterbox. Gene fell head first onto the hall floor, grabbing Alex's ankle as he did so, pulling her down on top of him. He lay flat on his back on the floor, laughing, Alex sprawled across his chest..

"Bloody Hell, Gene! You're gonna do me 'n injury" she yelped, trying to lever herself up.

He wrapped his arms round her and squeezed her tightly "I'd never let anyone hurt you, Alex" he whispered urgently, suddenly serious "Never again. Wanted to keep you safe, an' I couldn't. Let you down" He shook his head, fiercely "Couldn't take care of you…... Forgive me"

Alex frowned at him in drunken consternation, pushing herself upright into a sitting position. "You saved me Gene. You saved me from him. Nothing to forgive you for."

He stood up slowly, pulling her up with him, swaying dangerously and nearly falling again. "Didn't get there in time though, did I" he said, brokenly, starting to stumble up the stairs "Bed…. I'm very drunk, Bolly. Need my bed"

They fell exhausted into bed, leaving their clothes on the floor where they fell. Gene wrapped an arm round her sleepily as she curled up against him, and kissed her forehead softly "No more nightmares, Bolly. I'm here now."

They slept peacefully, limbs tangled together.

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On Saturday morning Alex was up and dressed long before Gene. She'd tried to wake him but he'd been laying face down, unconscious, and snoring heavily. Alex wasn't really very surprised. The amount of drink they'd consumed the night before had been prodigious, even for him. She crept downstairs slowly, the pounding in her head getting worse if she moved too quickly.

She found painkillers and made tea and toast for herself. No point making any for him, she reasoned, he'd be asleep for a good while yet. She wondered if he would stay all weekend. She didn't like to ask him, afraid that he would tell her he was going back to his flat. She was so confused by his attitude to her, one minute he was being attentive and caring, the next he was stepping back from her, both physically and mentally.

In the evenings, sometimes, as they'd watched television, he'd pulled her into the crook of his arm, resting his chin on the top of her head as she'd leaned against his chest. He'd slept in her bed all week, arms around her to make her feel safe, soothing her when the nightmares had come, but there'd been nothing more to it than that. He'd been a model of good behaviour and Alex was beginning to get seriously frustrated. She wanted him so much but she was too afraid to broach the subject, scared that he would still reject her.

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At twelve, Alex went back upstairs to drag him out of bed. He was still snoring, one arm dangling over the side of the mattress. She lent down to his level "Get up, or I'll tell Tom that you'd rather come shoe shopping with me" She watched in amusment as he struggled to focus, giving up and pulling the covers around himself tightly.

"Gene! Get up! You're going to be late!" she barked in his ear. He grabbed the pillow and stuck his head under it. "Jesus woman! There's no need to make that amount of sodding noise!" he groaned, still not moving.

Alex pulled the duvet off him, and went over to the windows, flinging up both sashes, letting in a rush of bitterly cold November air. She stood at the bedroom door and waited as the temperature in the bedroom dropped rapidly. After a minute or so, he got up, blinking at her grumpily. "You're a bloody sadist you are, Bolly. The bathroom had better be warm." He shuffled past her, sleepily, rubbing a hand through his hair. Alex fought the urge to grab hold of him and kiss him awake.

"Fresh air. It's good for a hangover Gene" she said cheekily.

He muttered darkly to himself as he went into the bathroom. A few seconds later the door open again. "Tea?" he asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully "And toast?"

"With butter and jam?" replied Alex, raising her eyebrows sarcastically back at him.

"Lovely! Ta very much, Bolly. Just butter, though, feel a bit queasy." The door banged shut once more.

Alex smiled to herself and went downstairs to do the Gene Genie's bidding.

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Half an hour later Alex was at the wheel of the Quattro, roaring up Islington High Street. "Where are you meeting Tom" she asked Gene, who was sitting in the passenger seat in a state of high anxiety. The pay-off for the toast and tea was that Alex got to borrow his car while he was at football. Surprisingly he'd agreed, but Alex was certain he was regretting it now as she squeezed the car at speed, through a narrow gap between a parked delivery lorry and a Routemaster bus.

"Pub off Holloway Road, near the tube station... Jesus Christ! Paintwork! Paintwork!" he roared "Mind my bloody car, Bolly!"

"If you'd got up earlier I wouldn't have to drive this fast to get you to the pub on time!" she retorted. "The match doesn't kick off 'til three. I don't know why you're in such a hurry"

"Got to get all my drinking time in before kick-off, 'cos you want me home for dinner straight after" He glanced over at her anxiously "Not that I'm complaining mind. I'm looking forward to it. Here, drop me off here. It's just round the corner"

Alex swung the car into a parking space and waited for Gene to get out. He sat still looking down at his hands, frowning, obviously wanting to say something but struggling to put it into words. Finally he spoke, hesitantly. "Bolly... about DCI Fletcher. You and him, you're quite close aren't you?" He paused before continuing, awkwardly"I thought for a while that you might be seeing him, you know…" He looked up and sighed, shaking his head "Forget I said that. It's just bad enough that I'm going to watch bloody Arsenal, with him, without wondering what he's been up to with you. Not that it's a problem mind" he added hastily "You're a free agent, you can do what you like. I can't really talk. I shagged that Carmen bird."

She reached out and rested her hand on his knee. "Tom Fletcher is a good friend. Nothing more than that. If it makes you feel any better, he has a huge and very unrequited crush on a gorgeous blonde. I'm just not his type."

Gene took her hand in his for a moment "Good" he said with a trace of a grin "See you later Bols." He kissed her on the cheek and gone, slamming the car door behind him and striding up the road. Alex watched him go, touching her cheek where she could still feel the heat from his lips, ridiculously pleased by a simple kiss. That sounded positive, she thought, unable to stop herself grinning like a lunatic. She was just preparing to pull away when there was a knock on the driver's window. She lowered it as Tom Fletcher leaned down, grinning at her.

"Well, well DI Drake. You and Mr Hunt in a car, kissing. If I had more time, I'd want you to give me all the details"

Alex laughed "You'd be disappointed. There's nothing to tell. He's just making sure I'm OK. We're not back together. He keeps his distance these days. I never know where I am with him."

Tom frowned "He told me that you were having nightmares. That you wake up screaming. He worries about you, you know."

He paused, looking at her hesitantly. "Alex, I probably shouldn't really ask you this, but have you ever talked to him about exactly what happened with Waltham?"

She shook her head "No. He won't talk about anything to do with the case. I just assumed he'd read the statement that I gave to you."

"Well he hasn't" said Tom "Specifically asked me not to include it in his copy of the case file. Said he didn't need to know the details, but I think he does. I think he's putting two and two together and making five. You need to talk to him, Alex. It's obvious to anyone who knows him that he adores you. Something's worrying him"

"Fletcher!" Gene's bellow rang out down the Holloway Road, "You're supposed to be in the pub, not gossiping with DI Drake! Leave her alone, she's got shopping to do and I'm in need of a pint!"

Alex rolled her eyes at Tom "Have fun" she laughed "Try and make him behave nicely"

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At half five on the dot, Alex heard Gene's key in the lock. She stood by the table, strangely nervous as he came down the stairs. He was shrugging off his coat and so didn't look up properly until he was halfway across the kitchen. He stopped, taking in the table laid for two, the flowers and candles.

She moved over to the oven, to cover up her nerves and began to take out the dishes that were keeping warm in there. Moving carefully, she placed the roasting dish down in the middle of the table. "Shall I carve or do you want to?" she asked, worried that he hadn't said anything yet, petrified that she'd done the wrong thing, that it would be too much, too much like playing at being a wife. "I know it's not Sunday but I wasn't sure if you be here tomorrow…. You might have other plans" she looked up at him, finally.

He was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at her with a look of pure delight on his face. "You cooked" he said incredulously. "Roast beef and roast potatoes? With all the trimmings? Proper gravy?" he asked.

"Yes. Everything except Yorkshire pudding. I can't even begin to attempt to make that"

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Gene had second helpings of everything, including pudding, which was jam sponge and custard. He cleared up as Alex got ready to go and meet Shaz.

When he'd finished, he found his whisky and a glass and stretched out on the sofa, eyes closed. "Can't move" he said contentedly "Don't want to either. I'm knackered" He watched the TV idly whilst Alex found her coat and bag.

"I'm off then. I'll see you later." She hesitated, wanting to kiss him goodbye, but not sure if she should. After all he'd done the same to her in the car that afternoon.

"Bye Bols. Have a nice time." He glanced up from the screen briefly, smiling at her. "Go on then, you'll be late" He turned back to the TV again and Alex lost her courage, picking up her bag and leaving quietly

When she got back later that evening, he was still lying on the sofa, eyes closed, TV off. As she came over to him, he opened one eye and peered at her. "I forgot to say earlier, I got you something. Well, two things really. They're in my coat pocket"

Alex found his coat and drew out a small parcel wrapped in newspaper, and an envelope. She came over and sat down next to him, curling her legs up underneath her. He looked at her for a long time without speaking.

"Which one first?" she asked him, unnerved by his scrutiny, holding out both of his presents.

"That one" He touched the parcel gently. She began to unwrap it slowly. "Careful. It's fragile." She heard the strain in his voice and looking up at him, Alex saw the anxiety in his face.

"I wasn't sure if you'd like it, but I got it anyway. I thought it looked like you" he said doubtfully, as the last of the newspaper fell away. Alex gazed in wonder at the small glass ornament in her hand. It was the figure of a woman, Art Nouveau, in style, leaning back in ecstasy, one hand in her wild, windswept hair, the other trailing out over her head, languidly. The flow of the drapery showed off the curves of her breasts and hips, the length of her legs. It was exquisite and Alex couldn't quite believe that Gene had bought her something so beautiful. She turned it over, examining it from all angles buying herself time before she had to meet his gaze, knowing that when she did, he would see the tears that were gathering there. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the signature on the plinth.

"Gene, this a Rene Lalique." she said in disbelief

"That's good then, is it? Whats-his-name?" He was watching her intently.

"Yes, it's good. His pieces are rare. He's really collectable, _will _be really collectable" she corrected herself "Where on earth did you find it?" she asked incredulously

He shrugged "We walked past a junk shop on the way to Highbury. It was in the window. I'd stopped to light a fag and I saw it." He let out a deep breath, looking away from her and Alex knew that he had been worried about her reaction.

"This one next then" she said, giving him time to recover himself. She slid her fingers under the flap of the envelope and tipped it up, shaking the contents into her hand. It was the heart pendant.

"Oh!" she cried, taken totally by surprise. She'd told herself that the pendant was gone, lost somewhere in Waltham's club. The tears spilled over now, but Alex didn't care any more "I thought I'd lost this forever. Thank you" she whispered "This means so much to me" She reached up and touched his cheek. He leaned into her fingers, closing his eyes fleetingly at her touch. When he opened them again, they were dark and smoky, his pupils huge, making her dizzy with longing

"Really?" he asked, his eyes holding hers.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. I'll deal with the fallout of this later, she told herself, caring about nothing else, but the desperate need for him that raged through her.

His mouth was achingly familiar, tasting as ever of whisky and cigarettes, making Alex shake with desire. She kissed his lips again, fluttering soft kisses along his mouth, savouring each touch. He was silent, but she felt his body tremble slightly. She drew his lower lip gently into her mouth, sucking at it, her tongue probing softly. His arms came up round her and his mouth opened under hers, letting her in with a groan, kissing her back deeply and fiercely, pulling her to him. She pulled back from him, resting her forehead against his, breathing hard. "Come to bed with me, I want you so much and I'm too scared to tell you" she whispered, looking up at him, suddenly shy.

She felt him tense, saw the pain his eyes "No Alex. …... You don't have to do this… it's too soon"

"Too soon after what?" she asked, terrified that he was going to push away.

"After what happened….. at the club……..please don't make me say it Alex." His voice was anguished and with a sudden flash of insight, Alex understood what he was thinking. She sat back and took his face between her hands.

"Look at me, Gene" she ordered "Look at me" He met her gaze reluctantly, hugely uncomfortable now. She regarded him steadily. "Waltham didn't rape me, Gene." She saw him wince at her words, but he didn't look away. "He would have done, we both know that. He was going to rape and kill me. But he didn't, because you were there in time. You saved me. You were there when I needed you"

She smiled at him shakily, her fingers stroking his cheek. "I want to do this. I want to go to bed with you. If I don't do this now, then all the "what-ifs" and the "might-have-been's" that have been in my nightmares all week, will just get bigger and stronger and very soon that's all I'll be able to think of. I need you to save me again Gene…… Please?" she searched his face anxiously, hardly daring to hope that he would say yes.

He looked at her for a long time, his face impassive, but Alex could see the need in his eyes. Finally he let out a shaky breath, looking down and taking her hand in his. He stood up and led her slowly upstairs. Neither of them spoke, not wanting to break the spell. Alex could hardly breathe, her ribs constricted with longing for him. When he reached her bedroom, he turned and looked at her again, the unspoken question clear. She said nothing, just moved towards the mantelpiece, lighting the candles that she always kept there. When she was finished and the room was filled with soft, flickering shadows, she stood very still, watching him as he came towards her.

Slowly, silently he removed her clothes, frowning slightly in concetration, running his hands over the curves her body. "You are so gorgeous" he breathed. Alex reached out and began to unbutton his shirt, drawing her fingers down his bare chest, following them with soft, light kisses. When she'd finished undressing him, he took her hands in his, easing her down onto the bed and laying down beside her in the candlelight, taking her face in his hands, his mouth on hers, soft and loving. He kissed her with such tenderness, that Alex felt tears gather and slip from the corners of her eyes. Gene kissed them away gently "You OK?" he asked her, huskily. "Yes" she whispered, against his mouth, arching her body against him, trailing kisses along his jaw and neck.

He bowed his head and kissed her neck and collar bone, softly, murmuring wordlessly as he stroked her skin. She ran her hands through his hair, smoothing it back from his forehead, her fingers brushing the faint scar he still had there from the shooting. He sucked her nipples, drawing them gently through his teeth, so they ached and tightened at this touch. Moving down her body, he kissed under the curve of her breast, her stomach, her hips, his hands moving her thighs apart. His breath was hot on her skin, his tongue like fire, flickering at the centre of her. She felt herself open at his touch, desire lancing through her. Softly, so softly he lapped at her, sliding his tongue into her, teasing her clit, drawing a long moan from her. "Oh God… that feels so good".

He paused for a moment, laying his cheek on her stomach, his fingers softly stroking, curling up inside of her, slick and wet. "You feel like velvet, Alex. You feel so beautiful" he whispered, and his voice was rough with desire. He put his whole mouth on her, kissing and sucking at her, still so gentle and so tender. She'd arched back against the mattress, her whole focus on the sensation of his mouth against her flesh. Feeling herself soaking wet, aching for his touch, the heat building inside her and exploding, she cried out, begging for him to be inside her. He moved back up her body, not hurrying, trailing his hands and his tongue over her, as she shuddered and gasped.

He moved over her, taking his weight on his elbows, shifting his hips gently to open her legs. He paused and looked at her intently; "You're sure?" he asked and his voice shook slightly. She made no reply, instead she gently bucked her hips against him, feeling the length of his body against hers, his straining cock pressing against her. She reached up to take his face in her hands, drawing him to her, kissing him deeply,

He pushed against her gently, so slowly, drawing out the moment so she felt every incredible sensation as he slid himself into her. She threw her head back in an agony of pleasure. Gene was completely silent, rapt in concentration, watching her. He began to move in her, long, slow strokes. Alex wrapped her arms around his back, her legs round his, drawing him as close to her as she could. She couldn't think of anything but him, inside her, filling her up, making her feel like she was drowning in him. "Oh … God, need you so much, Gene…..Don't stop, don't ever stop" She cried out, urging herself against him. He moved faster in her, more urgently, his breathing ragged. "I though you were gone.… thought I'd lost you forever" he groaned, burying his face in her neck, thrusting into her harder and harder and Alex felt herself begin to spiral up, out of control, the flickers of fire spreading from her centre, out to her limbs. Her body convulsed, her fingers digging hard into his back.

"Look at me Alex….. Look at me….. I want to see your face" he gasped out the words, holding on, his face intense, blazing with passion, as she met his eyes, unable to stop herself coming, pulsing around him, crying out his name. She felt him come, tipping over the edge then, spilling molten heat inside her, his body shuddering with the intensity of his climax. "Alex…..my Alex….. I love you"


	23. Chapter 23

He clung to her, breathing hard, his face in her neck. "I love you" he repeated, his voice no more than a whisper. Alex clung to him, feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm flicker through her body. They lay entwined together as their breathing slowly returned to normal, Alex running her fingers lightly up and down Gene's spine. He shifted gently, pulling himself away from her, meeting her gaze briefly and looking away quickly, but not before she'd seen the panic in his eyes.

"Fags" he muttered "Where did I put them? I need a smoke Bolly, back in a minute" He dropped a kiss on her cheek, pulled on his boxers and made his way out of the room. Alex lay there, her mind racing. He said it; she thought incredulously, he said it – twice. And now he's disappeared downstairs for a smoke. Classic displacement activity, she told herself. You know what he's like, it's a reasonable enough reaction for him, keep calm. She forced herself to stay where she was.

When he wasn't back after half an hour, she got out of bed, pulling her silk dressing gown round her and made her way downstairs to find him. He was leaning against the kitchen table, staring moodily at the floor. He took a drag of his cigarette and sighed out the smoke in troubled contemplation. Alex stood by the bottom of the stairs waiting for him to speak. He looked round at her and she saw the wariness in his expression, like a shutter coming down across his face.

"Just 'cos I said what I said, doesn't mean I'm going all soppy on you, Bolly" He told her, defensively, looking like a small boy that still expects to be punished even though he's told the truth. She regarded him steadily for a moment, and then moved towards him. If he didn't want to talk about it, well that was fine for now. There would be time enough later, she thought hopefully.

She stood in front of him and reaching up, took his face in her hands. She kissed him, leaning her body against the length of his, sliding her tongue into his mouth, tasting the cigarette smoke. His free hand slid round her waist and down to the cheek of her arse, pulling her closer to him. "Sorry Bolly" he whispered, so quietly she could only just hear him. "I'm useless at this"

"Come back to bed, Gene. It's late" she murmured, kissing the exposed skin of his throat, licking at the salty taste of him. He made no reply, stubbing out his cigarette and kissing her again, taking her hand as she led him back upstairs. Back in bed he curled his body round hers, stroking her skin gently as they drifted into sleep.

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Alex woke before Gene did, as usual, and she turned on her side to watch him as he slept. His dirty-blond hair fell across his forehead and his face was peaceful in sleep. He said he loved me, she thought, and he was deeply uncomfortable about it. About saying it, or about meaning it? she wondered.

She recalled the Lalique figure downstairs, the returned necklace and she smiled to herself. He moved slightly, pushing himself against her, wordlessly muttering in his sleep. Alex felt desire surge in her, feeling the pulse start to throb between her legs, driving all thoughts of anything else from her mind. All the feelings that she'd kept bottled up for so many weeks, all the desire, all the sheer bloody lust that she felt for him, was spilling out, overwhelming her.

Alex gently pushed Gene onto his back, kneeling over him, wanting nothing else but to taste him, to take him into her mouth and make him spill over her tongue. He stirred, but didn't wake.

She moved down his body, trailing kisses down his chest and stomach as she did so. She hooked her fingers inside the elastic of his boxers and drew them down from his waist, tugging at them gently and sleepily he lifted his hips.

"Wot you doing, Bolly?" he murmured, slightly more awake now.

She laughed softly, curling her fingers round his growing erection. He moaned, tipping his head back as her fingers stroked him deftly. Alex bent her head to his swollen cock and licked, fluttering her tongue across the tip of it, suddenly taking him in her mouth, wrapping her lips around him, hot and wet. He gasped, his whole body trembling.

"Christ, that feels bloody fantastic" he hissed.

She sucked him hard and then stopped, holding him in her mouth for a moment, feeling his cock jump and twitch on her tongue. She took him in her hand again, squeezing, working him. He reached down to where she knelt between his thighs and brushed her nipples with his fingers, pinching them gently at first, then harder as she moaned her approval, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock.

Alex licked the whole length of him, one hand under him, stroking his balls and the cheeks of his arse. He writhed against the mattress, taking his hands from her and raising them over his head, pushing his palms against the headboard, levering his hips off the matress, his fingers raking the silk that covered it.

"Suck me" he moaned "please Alex…..please. I need you to. Make me come….please".

She slid one arm around his waist, holding him still, taking the full length of him into her mouth. He moaned again, thrusting his hips up towards her.

"All of it, take all of it" he begged her, the words wrenched from him.

Alex swallowed him, sucking hard, her tongue working him, curling around his straining flesh. He threw back his head in ecstasy, shouting out, his whole body jerking in climax as he came in her mouth. She drank him down, feeling him spasm against her tongue, holding him as he shuddered. "Fuck... fucking hell... Oh god, Alex"

Turning onto his side, he drew her back up the bed, kissing her neck, running his tongue across her throat, up to the sensitive skin below her ear, nibbling at it gently.

"What a way to wake up" he murmured, softly. " Time to repay the favour, I think"

His hand stroked down her body, skimming gently across her breasts, making them harden instantly, gliding across her stomach, to stop between her thighs. He cupped his hand over her, pressing gently with his middle finger until it slipped into the hot, oily warmth that pooled between her legs.

Alex gasped, and he began to move his hand slowly, his thumb stroking her clit teasingly. He slipped another finger inside her, and Alex moaned, pushing her hips against his hand, moving her leg up to wrap around his waist, opening herself up to him.

"More" she ordered, her voice strained, "harder…harder….Ohhh!" She dug her nails into his shoulder and urged her hips against him as he pushed yet another finger inside, curling them and flexing them in a rhythm that made her moan uncontrollably.

"Good?" he purred, his mouth on her neck, licking and biting her exposed throat. He moved lower, his mouth on her breast, sucking at her, his teeth grazing her nipple.

"Oh god…. Oh yes…faster…..Oh Christ, Gene!" Alex sobbed with pleasure as he worked his fingers into her, his thumb still brushing across her swollen clit, her juices soaking his hand now. She felt herself burning up, wave after wave of sensation flooding through her. She came, groaning his name, her flesh rippling round his fingers, her body tensed into immobility. He held her, kissing her throat, her cheeks, her closed eyes. " I love watching you when come, Alex" he growled "You look so incredible" She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to calm her frantically racing heart, feeling the sweat cooling on her body.

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They went out for breakfast by mutual agreement, walking up to Islington Green to find a café that was serving fry-ups. Alex watched Gene, leaning loose-limbed against the counter, his hair still wet from the shower. The woman taking the food orders gazed at him hungrily, running her eyes over his broad frame. Mine, thought Alex in satisfaction; at least I hope he is. Don't ask him anything about us or what happens next, she told herself sternly. Just enjoy today.

Gene ate quickly, wolfing his Full English down at a speed that gave Alex indigestion just watching him. She finished her scrambled eggs and toast sedately, slapping his hand away as he tried to steal the last slice.

"You can't still be hungry" she told him, reprovingly.

"I'm always hungry when I'm with you Bols, just not for food" He eyed her wolfishly, making her laugh.

"What shall we do now" she asked him, impulsively, regretting the words the moment she'd said them, in case she sounded to pushy.

He shrugged. "Don't know" he replied "No good asking me. I only have working, sleeping and drinking in my repertoire. Not much else. You choose." He smiled at her gently "I don't mind what we do"

Alex thought for a minute, casting her mind over what there was to do in London on a rare, sunny November day. "I know just the place" She smiled "It'll be fun."

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"Right. That's it. I've had enough now, Alex. There's a limit to how long you can watch penguins hopping up and down a big rock" Gene pulled his coat round him and glowered.

"OK. Lets go back and see the monkeys again" She tugged at his arm, making him walk back along the wide path in the direction they'd come from.

"I can see monkeys any day of week. I work with Chris and Ray" He flashed a grin at her and Alex felt her heart skip "Come on. It's just gone one, the pubs'll still be open. I need a drink to warm me up. My feet are bloody freezing. Why you had to pick London, sodding, Zoo, I don't know."

"I like London Zoo. I told you, I used to come here when I was little. We could always go in the reptile house if you want to get warm"

Gene shook his head "I have enough dealings with reptiles at work too" he snorted "Find me a pub please, Bols"

She laughed at him, her breath puffing out into the frosty air. The mid-afternoon sunshine made his hair look blonder than it usually did, the angle of the sun forming a nimbus of light around him.

"You should have worn a hat, Gene. You'd have been warmer then. I'm lovely and toasty" Alex wrapped her red scarf tighter round her neck and pulled the matching beanie hat down further over her ears.

He laughed in derision "I haven't got a bloody hat, 'cept my Stetson, and I'd look a right twat wearing that!"

She tipped her head on one side, considering him. "You've got the boots too" she mused "Have you still got the leather chaps as well? Will you wear them for me again one day, Gene? Ride 'em Cowboy?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him, laughing as he shook his head at her nonsense. He reached out and grabbed her scarf, pulling her to him so that she was nose to nose with him. His beautiful silver blue eyes met hers and she watched his gaze flick from her eyes to her mouth.

"I can ride you hard enough without wearing any of that get-up, Alex Drake" he growled softly and Alex felt herself squirm with desire. He lowered his mouth to hers, taking her lower lip between his and sucking hard, his tongue pushing into her mouth, devouring her. She felt her knees buckle and she grabbed the lapels of his coat to keep herself upright. He pulled away from her and she lent into him, breathing hard.

"Pub first" he said firmly. "Then we'll see about anything else" He gave her a lecherous grin and started walking, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Alex persuaded him to walk the long way round, back past the monkeys and the big cats. She stopped by the Lions enclosure, her face suddenly wistful.

"My Father used to bring me here" she said quietly, remembering "He'd lift me up and pretend he was going to swing me over the fence for the lions lunch. Made me scream every time he did it" She gave a small smile. "Then he'd hug me and tell me I was too sweet to be fed to them, that they'd get toothache and he loved me more than anything in the world"

She sighed sadly, a lump in her throat at the thought of all she missed about him, everything that was lost forever. Gene said nothing, watching her face closely. They walked on for a moment, and then he stopped, hands dug deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched, gazing off in to the distance.

"My dad would have fed me to the lions if he thought there was a drink it" he said bitterly. "He never, ever told me he loved me. Never told me he was proud of me either. Not even when I became a copper". Alex watched him, her heart aching for him, wanting to try and take the pain away but knowing it was too much of an intrinsic part of him now. The pain had defined him and made him the man he was. The man she loved.

"Did your Mum ever tell you she loved you?" she asked, gently, knowing that this was a huge thing for Gene to talk about. He frowned in concentration. "Sometimes, when I was little, I think" he said softly, "but Dad wouldn't have it, didn't even like her hugging us. He thought we'd grow up soft, that she'd turn us into nancy-boys."

He fell silent and Alex thought that was all he was going to say, but he continued quietly, still hunched defensively away from her. "I remember once, when I'd fallen over badly, taken all the skin off my knees and elbows. I must have been about five, I suppose, 'cos Stu was there, next to me, crying as much as I was at the sight of all that blood. Mam was comforting me. She'd sat me up on the kitchen table to wash off the dirt. Dad came in, bloody furious. We must have woken him up, I suppose. He walloped me and Stu for crying, walloped Mam for letting us cry and made her put iodine on all my cuts. I'd never felt anything so painful in all my life. He kept shouting at me that big boys didn't cry, only poofters cry."

He stopped and Alex saw he was embarrassed at having said too much, for revealing to her that his childhood had been so brutal. "Still, hasn't done me any harm, I suppose" He grimaced and took his hip flask from his pocket, swigging from it, deeply.

That's debatable, she thought wryly, noting his posture now and remembering his wary, defensive expression in the kitchen last night. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, knowing she needed to lighten the mood.

"Come on. Lets find a pub".

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They went to the Narrow Boat, a small pub by the canal bridge, just down from Alex's house. Norman the landlord had grown used to them being in there on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer and didn't even attempt to throw them out at two o'clock along with the other drinkers. He left them to it, disappearing upstairs to his flat, trusting them to leave them money on the bar for the drinks that they fetched for themselves.

"I'm not serving you, not in the strictest sense of the law" He'd said, the first time they'd done it back in June or July. "You're both coppers. You know how it works. Anyone asks, it's down to you to sort it out."

Gene had grinned at him, moving behind the bar to pull himself another pint. "Don't you worry yourself, Norman, no-one will be asking questions. I'll make sure of that".

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They sat by the fire that always burned in the grate during the winter months, Gene with a pint and Alex with a large glass of white wine. They looked up as a movement from the bar caught their eye. It was Lucy, Norman's five year old daughter.

"Crisps" she announced, holding up a packet "Cheese & Onion. My favourite. What's your's?"

"Salt n' Vinegar" replied Gene, smiling at her. "Can you get me a packet please, sweetheart? I'll put the money on the bar for your Dad"

She came over to them and held out both packets to Gene "Can you open mine, please" she asked, her eyes dark and serious. "Daddy says you're a policeman. That's why you're allowed to stay in here. You don't look like one. You haven't got a uniform."

Gene returned the open crisp packet to her. "I'm a special kind of policeman" he told her, matching her serious manner "I'm in disguise. Then I can catch all the naughty people 'cos they don't know who I am" Lucy looked at him silently for a minute and then turned to Alex. "Are you a policeman too? A special kind of one"

"Yes. I am. Just like he is" Alex indicated to Gene. Lucy studied her carefully, considering Alex's answer.

"Ladies shouldn't be policemen. It's not a good job for them, I think." she annouced, finally.

"Why not?" Alex asked, watching Gene try not to smile.

"They don't get to wear pretty dresses" said Lucy firmly. "Ladies should be princesses or brides. Then they get to wear pretty dresses all the time. Like my Cindy doll" She picked up her crisps and left them alone, going back upstairs.

Gene grinned at Alex's affronted face. "Feminism not reached the younger generation yet then. I wouldn't mind if you wore a pretty dress to work, though. Might liven the place up a little. Specially when you have one of your 'Princess Bolly Knickers' moments" His grin grew wider "I love the way children just come right out and say what they think. No messing about"

"That's why you get on so bloody well with them then" replied Alex tartly. Gene laughed, offering her some of his crisps.

"Did you never want children Gene? They seem to like you" she asked him, thinking back to Donny and his midnight birthday party. He shook his head, gazing into the fire, a far-away look on his face.

"No. The wife wanted them when we were first married, that was the next step. Get married, have a family. She got pregnant once but it wasn't right from the start. She lost it after a couple of months. It never happened for her again. Just one of those things, I suppose. I know it upset her, but she never talked about it much. Not to me anyway"

"How did you feel about it?" asked Alex, hesitantly, not wanting to hurt him any more after he'd revealed so much to her .

"Honestly?" he looked up at her, gauging how much he could say.

"Honestly" She affirmed.

He sighed heavily, from deep in his chest. "I was relieved, Alex. Relieved that I'd never have to have the responsibility of having a child. That I'd never have to find out what kind of father I'd be."

He shook his head regretfully. "I'm too much like my Dad anyway, what with all the drinking and the anger. I never wanted to behave like he did towards a child. I was frightened I wouldn't have been able to stop myself"

Alex looked at him steadily "That's a very brave thing to admit" she said, her heart hurting for him again.

He shrugged "S'the truth" he said. "It's not right, but its how I felt. I still do. I like kids. I just don't want any of my own. Too scared I'll mess it all up" He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes, obviously weighing up what he was going to say next.

"Your turn" he said. "What about your daughter. Why doesn't she live with you?"

Alex had guessed this was what he would ask but it still hurt her to answer.

"She couldn't, can't live with me. It's….. it's just not possible. She's with her Godfather. She sees her Father too, I'd expect. She's safer there. It was too dangerous for her to be with me, so I sent her away. She knows that I love her, but I just can't be with her."

"Will you see her again?" he asked "I mean, will she come and live with you eventually. You seem to fairly settled here now"

Alex nodded "I am settled here, very settled" she said, reaching across the table and taking his hand in hers "I don't think it's going to be that simple, her coming to live with me . I think that she should stay where she is. It's much better that way."

She shook her head, blinking away the memories. What surprised her most was that she didn't find it as painful to talk about Molly as she'd thought she would. Molly was a blurry, dream-like figure that she loved dearly but had known a long, long time ago.

They sat lost in their own thoughts for a while, drinking steadily, then moved on to other lighter topics that didn't have the power to hurt them so much. The sunny day darkened into late afternoon and the bar grew shadowy, the only light coming from the softly flickering fire. Gene stood and threw another log on it from the wicker basket on the hearth.

"You've got a fireplace in your house, haven't you Bolly? Up in that sitting room that you never use. Why don't you ever light a fire? We could get the chimney swept. It would be nice."

Alex noted the use of the word 'we' but said nothing about it. "I don't know. I've never really thought about before. I'm happy sitting in the kitchen, on my very comfy sofa"

She grinned at him tipsily. "You always look very comfy on it too. Must be comfy, 'cos you told me you missed it"

Oops, she thought, didn't mean to say that last bit.

"Don't just miss your sofa, Bolly" Gene stared into his pint "Miss you too. Miss you lots. Didn't know how much 'til you weren't there any more"

Alex shrugged and slopped half her wine over her wrist "Why'd you leave then? Didn't want you to. I miss you too."

"I know. It was me bein' stupid, too proud…… too stupid"

"You've said that already….. How 'bout pig-headed, idiotic, ridiculous, stubborn,…." She tailed off, looking sideways at him.

"Them an' all" he agreed "I'm sorry, Bolly. Need to make it up to you"

"Move back in then" she said, not stopping to think about whether or not she should say that to him.

"Really? Move all my stuff back into your lovely house. Do you want me to Alex? Seriously? It doesn't bother you, how different we are?"

He looked at her and Alex saw the longing in his eyes and heard the fear in his voice. It was well hidden, but it was there. She leaned across the table and kissed him, softly and deeply, trying to put all her feelings for him into her kiss, all the need and the love and the desire that he aroused in her. She broke away from his mouth and took his face between her hands, staring at him intently.

"No, it doesn't bother me at all. We're different. So what. We're the same in a thousand other ways, too. That's what matters. The fact that we're good together. That we love each other" She stopped, realising what she'd said, her face burning, dropping her eyes from his, the emotion in them too raw. "Move back in with me Gene" she whispered, her lips against his cheek "Live with me"

He pulled back, meeting her gaze, his eyes shinning like molten silver in the firelight. "You and me? A couple. Properly?"

"Yes. A couple" Alex regarded him steadily, her heart racing, petrified that she had scared him away. She watched as a slow smile spread across his face and he nodded.

"Ok. I can do that. I can be a couple with you" he paused, obviously running things through in his mind "No going naggy on me though, mind. I am not giving up my fags. Or the booze" He stared at her determinedly.

Alex shrugged "Wouldn't expect you too" she grinned "You're a copper. You run on booze, fags and bacon rolls"

He took a long sip of his pint and smiled. "Will you do my washing?" he asked slyly.

"I'm not that drunk, Gene" she laughed


	24. Chapter 24

**This chapter started off so respectably and got _way _out of hand by the end. Blame them, not me. They've been apart for nearly two months and the reunion is turning into a full-on smut fest. Actually, blame a certain individual over at TRA and her deliciously smutty little one-hit fics. Wanted to go out with a bang (ha ha – innuendo intended) as this is my last up-date until the end of August. Damn holidays. **

**The two lines of poetry are from "Catch me" by Jean Sprackland.**

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews. They inspire me to keep writing. It's like Christmas when I open my in-box and see them all there.**

On Monday, Alex spent all day with the Super going over her presentation and accompanying report, the first draft of which was now finished. She also spoke to him at length about the possibility of moving back down to CID, presenting her case calmly and reasonably. She hadn't spoken to Gene about it yet but she knew that she couldn't stay up here, away from it all for much longer. It was driving her mad. She wanted to do her job properly, not be a desk-bound theorist.

Gene had gone into work very early, giving her no time to discuss her thoughts on this with him. He wanted to be there when Ray and Chris raided the garage that they'd been watching all week. She'd woken up as he'd left, leaning over her to kiss goodbye, his tongue dipping into her mouth, running his hands over her breasts.

"God, I wish I could climb right back in there with you" he groaned. "See you later, Bolly"

She hadn't seen him all day. She'd had lunch with Shaz who'd filled her in on the events of the morning. The raid had gone badly and DC Ellis had been cornered and hit over the head with a wrench. He'd been taken to hospital with a fractured skull, meaning that Gene had to inform Ellis' parents, and then take them to see their son. Leaving the hospital, he'd been contacted on the radio by Viv, letting him know he was needed at at one of the garment factories near Commercial Road , where there was an armed robbery in progress.

Alex ventured downstairs to CID, to try and find him at about four o'clock. Only Ray had been there, catching up on paperwork. "The Guv's not back yet. Still down at Commercial Road sorting out the mess. I think he's waiting for the senior fire officer to show up."

"Fire officer?" repeated Alex "I thought it was a robbery. How did the fire start?"

Ray sighed "It started as a robbery, but it went wrong and they barricaded themselves in. Didn't manage to take any hostages though 'cos all the staff evacuated. We were outside, trying to get them to give themselves up. That went on for while. It's a huge building and we couldn't work out where they were at first."

He grimaced"That's when it all went tits up. Turns out, there were four of them, not three, like we all thought. The fourth one went off on 'is own and started the fire to distract us, so 'is mates could get away."

He shook his head, sadly. "Trouble is, the whole bloody place went up. All that material. Very flammable. We lost them all in the confusion, couldn't go in until the fire brigade 'ad it all under control. That's when we realised that there'd been more workers in the factory than 'ad been accounted for. Illegals. They'd locked themselves in a store room an' all died of smoke inhalation. The Guv found them."

"How many? asked Alex, knowing that even just one was too many.

"Nine" answered Ray, dully "All women. Youngest must 'ave been about fourteen." He looked up at her, warningly. "When you do find the Guv, be nice to 'im Ma'm, won't you. He's 'ad better day's"

She nodded reassuringly at him, realising that Ray didn't know about about her and Gene, and the decision they'd come to in the pub yesterday. "I will, I promise. If you see him when he gets back, tell him I'm on the forth floor, going through my report with one of the secretaries."

"Will do Ma'm. You coming to Luigi's later? I think we could all use a few drinks this evening"

She nodded. "Absolutely. I'll see you over there later"

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An hour and a half later, Alex was proof-reading the last few pages as Janet double checked them, writing notes to herself in the margins as she went. Alex had pulled up an empty chair and was working at Janet's desk, her back to the rest of the room. She'd got fed up with the constant scrutiny of the other secretaries in the large open-plan office. They all seemed to find her fascinating and she found their sidelong glances off-putting.

"Take no notice of them" remarked Janet, a smart but sensible looking women in her late forties. Alex liked her very much, she was very good at her job, with a wicked sense of humour. "They just don't know what to make of you."

"Why?" asked Alex "Do I have two heads?"

"No!" laughed Janet "But you're just as strange to them. You're a female DI, the only one we've got in the Met. That's fairly astonishing, don't you think? We're not used to woman getting that high on the career ladder, even though we've got a female Prime Minister. You unsettle them, I think. They don't know what to make of you"

Alex snorted, and was about to reply, when the office doors banged open and Angela rushed in, red-faced and breathless "He's on his way up here!" she panted. "Right now!

She raced to her desk and pulled out her handbag, finding her powder compact, and desperately tried to tone down her red cheeks.

"Who is?" asked Denise, looking puzzled

"Who do you think!" screeched Angela "DCI Hunt! He _never _comes up to this floor. I heard DS Carling tell him what he was looking for was on the fourth floor! That's us! He's looking for one of us!"

Alex and Janet watched in astonishment as the entire office instantly became a frenzy of excitement. Hair was brushed and flicked out. Lipstick and powder were hastily applied. Necklines were lowered and hemlines raised. All eyes turned towards the doors, watching them avidly. Alex saw Carmen lick her bright red lips in anticipation.

"I don't know what it is about that man that just makes us all melt" murmured Janet to Alex. "I'm a happily married woman and he makes me go weak at the knees. Mind you, I'm preaching to the converted, with you, aren't I, Inspector" she added with a quick grin.

Gene pushed open the office doors, totally unaware of the massed ranks of suppressed female hysteria that greeted his appearance. He looked neither right nor left as he marched down the centre of the office, his black coat spreading out behind him like a cloak. He reached Alex, grabbed her hand, and without a word, pulled her out of her chair and towed her in the direction of the door that led out onto the fire exit stairs.

Alex couldn't resist glancing at Carmen, who sat frozen at her desk, cleavage still trust forward, open-mouthed in shock. Gene tugged her through the door and pushed her up against the wall of the stairwell, tangling his hands into her hair, his mouth crashing down onto hers frenziedly. He kissed her urgently, deeply, his tongue plundering her mouth. Alex moaned in delight at the raw lust in his kiss, feeling the wetness gather hotly between her thighs.

From the corner of her eye, she was aware of Janet pulling the fire-exit door firmly shut, giving her a cheeky wink. "Back to your seats, please ladies. I'm sure they're just discussing some urgent CID business"

He broke away from her, breathing hard and Alex gazed at him, silently, her lips bruised and swollen from the force of his mouth on hers. His expression was grim, his face drawn with sorrow and exhaustion. Alex suddenly recalled two lines of a poem she'd once read, a long time ago; " _I'm everywhere, I'm lost, catch me, make your arms into walls and hold me". _She wrapped her arms round him tightly, under his coat, stroking his back, trying to do exactly that.

"I've had a bastard of a day Alex and I need a drink, but I need you more" Gene growled, his breath hot against her ear, his body pushed hard along the length of hers, leaving no doubt as to his meaning. She said nothing, taking his hand, knowing just what to do to make things better. She walked further up the stairs, and he followed her silently. She went past the door to the top floor where her office was, continuing up until she reached the door that led to the roof. There was an alcove on the landing, built so the lift engineers could access the door to the lift mechanisms without obstructing the stairs.

Alex drew him into it, leaning back against the wall once more, pulling him closer to her. Reaching down, she felt him through the material of his trousers, hard and aroused.

"You'd better have me then, Gene" she whispered in his ear, feeling him tense in delight at her words. Turning round and leaning on the metal stair rail, her hips thrust back towards him, she reached back under her dress and wriggled out of her knickers.

Gene made a growling sound deep in his throat as he stepped closer, hitching up the skirt of her grey dress with one hand, undoing his trousers hastily with the other. Alex heard the sound of his belt and zip and then felt his cock, pushing against her, hot and hard, plunging into her insistently.

Grasping her waist with both hands, Gene groaned softly as he held himself still inside her for a moment. Holding her tightly, he began to move, pumping his hips in short fast strokes, stabbing into her. She writhed back against him, trying to grind herself onto him to take him deeper. He held her steady, still plunging in and out, almost withdrawing at every stroke, making her shake with frustration and desire.

Without warning a door opened on the stairs below them and voices drifted up. He lent forward over her back, pushing a hand into her hair, pulling her gently up to meet him so that he could whisper in her ear.

"Quiet Bolly. If you make any noise, they'll come up and find us" She could hear the laughter in his voice as he knew how difficult it would be for her not to make a sound.

Alex froze, watching the anonymous hands on the rail below. They were moving downwards, thank God. However, she was only too aware of how much sound carried in the space they were in, and Gene was still continuing to thrust into her, harder now and deeper, making her lose all sense of anything but the feel of him inside her. She bit her lips, trying to keep the sounds that were rising from her throat back, but she knew it would soon be impossible.

She grabbed his hand, and drew it to her mouth, biting down on the leather-clad ball of his thumb. She heard him hiss in surprise and probably pain, but he made no other noise than that, holding her still as she thrust her hips back, working against him as she came, her orgasm a roaring heat, flooding through her.

Gene pushed into her ferociously with a grunt, higher and harder, his thrusts becoming erratic as he started to come, "Oh Christ, oh Christ…. Oh yes…." he groaned through clenched teeth, resting his cheek against her shoulder blades. Alex felt his legs tremble against hers. He slumped against her, panting, catching his breath before slipping out of her. Alex moaned softly at the loss of him from inside her, turning round and kissing him hard.

"Your day starting to improve?" she asked, with a wide-eyed, innocent stare.

"Oh yes" he gasped. "Just need that drink and it'll be as good as it gets. Well, the last quarter of an hour will be. I'm not thinking about the bits before that."

He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I suggest we both smarten ourselves up a bit and then go and have a drink or three wi' the others." He started to walk back down the stairs, turning at the first landing to look up at Alex, who hadn't moved.

"You staying up there all night Bolly, or wot?"

Alex leaned down over the stair rail "I can't find my knickers" she whispered. "It's not funny" she hissed in agitatedly, as Gene began to laugh.

"I think I must have kicked them over the edge. They'll be down there somewhere. Someone will find them!"

"They'll have found worst things in this station I'm sure. What are you worried about? They don't have your name sewn into them, do they Bolly? No-one's going to know they're yours!" He roared with laughter at her furious face. "Go and sort yourself out. I'll see if I can find them".

When Alex reached then font desk, ten minutes later, Gene was standing waiting for her, leaning against the wall, his head back, eyes closed. Viv raised his eyebrows at her as she came through the doors.

"He looks knackered. What's he been up to?" Alex tried her best not to blush as Gene opened his eyes slowly, looking down his nose at her with the faintest trace of a grin. From the top pocket of his jacket she could see the tiniest flash of red silk. He'd found her underwear.

"Nothing. He's just getting old Viv, can't take the pace any more" She smiled at Gene with mock sweetness.

"Thank you for that, DI Drake. I'm not old, just experienced" he rasped "Shall we go? You coming over Viv?"

Viv nodded "Give me two minutes. Mine's a pint" he said hopefully.

Gene held the door open for her and they walked slowly down the steps and along pavement to Luigi's. "Chilly tonight" he said wickedly "You want to wrap, Bolly. Wouldn't want any bits of you catching cold, now would we"

"I know you've got my knickers, Gene. I can see them in your top pocket. Are you going to give them back?"

"Maybe later" he grinned "Much later though. I like the thought of you with only stockings and suspenders on under that dress, far too much to give them back now" He ran his hand over the curve of her backside appreciatively. "Bloody gorgeous" he breathed, stopping to kiss her thoroughly as they reached the corner of the street.

To Alex's surprise, Gene grabbed her hand as they went down the steps of Luigi's. It was packed for a Monday night, seeming with the entire station staff. All the CID team were there, all the secretaries clustered round a table in the middle of the bar, cackling away like mad.

There was an audible drop in the conversation level as Gene and Alex pushed their way through the crowd, to the bar where Lugi stood, taking orders and pouring drinks as quickly as he could. He looked up, taking in their linked hands at a glance. He reached under the bar and brought up a bottle of champagne. "On the house. You are celebrating tonight, yes?" He beamed at them both, happily. Gene looked at him sharply "You a mind reader now then Luigi? You should go on telly. Make a fortune"

Luigi smiled "I don't need to read your mind Mr Hunt. I'm Italian. I just know. You are back with the lovely Signorina Drake."

Gene nodded, suddenly awkward, as he realized that everyone was staring. He turned to face them all, squeezing Alex's hand, hard, and she realized he was nervous. The Gene Genie was nervous. She squeezed back, reassuringly and leaned closer to him. He banged on the bar with Luigi's ice pick, making everyone fall silent.

"Listen up you lot! I'm saying this to stop the gossip, and the wagers, and the general nosiness that you will no doubt all waste your time with for the rest of this week, instead of getting on with any sodding work."

He paused and glared round at them all, catching both Ray and Shaz's eye. " DI Drake and I….. Alex and I, are back together. I'm moving in with her. Properly"

He stopped, embarrassed at all the attention, before continuing gruffly "And to celebrate I'm buying you all a drink. Only one mind!" he roared over the cheers "and no sneaky doubles either!"

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After an hour or so, Gene returned to the station. "Still got paperwork to fill out," he explained to Alex. "Need to finish it tonight, or I'll never do it. Bane of my bloody life, paperwork. I'm a copper not a fucking tax man"

Throwing back the last of his whisky, he slipped a hand into her hair, kissing her hard on the mouth. He didn't seem to care that it was full view of everyone.

"Christ you make me horny, Bolly. Come and find me when you've finished here. I might just give you your knickers back if you're a good girl" He strode out of the bar, loping up the steps, back to the endless grind of admin that he hated so much.

Alex bit her lip, trying not to grin as she noticed the secretaries staring over at her. Unnoticed by either herself or Gene, Carmen had been standing at the bar next to them and had obviously heard every word that Gene had just said. The expression on her face was one of jealous fury. Alex grinned at her, gleefully.

"As you so rightly said the other week, Carmen, there's only one bloke worth shagging in the whole station, and it would seem that it's me who's going to have the pleasure of him now."

She leaned over the bar and gestured to Luigi. "I think Carmen needs another drink, Luigi. Better make it a sweet white wine this time, though. The one she's just had seems to taste rather of sour grapes"

She smiled at her brightly, and picking up her wine glass, made her way over to talk to Ray. He was sitting with DS Bartlett, staring over at the secretaries, his hands making a curving, cupping gesture at chest height.

"Let me guess, you're talking about the size of Angela's breasts again, Ray" she said wickedly, watching in amusement as he and Barlett both choked on their pints. "Maybe if you just went and talked to her, instead of sitting over here ogling her, you might actually get to find out what size they are for real, one of these days"

To her surprise, Ray looked slightly uncomfortable. "She wouldn't want to talk to me. I've heard them. talking about all the men they work with" he mumbled.

"Yes she would" encouraged Alex "Try it. You'll be surprised. Just try not to stare at her tits as you talk" She grinned at him, enjoying the shocked look that Ray always wore when she said anything crude.

He took a long drink of his pint and stood up. He got halfway across the floor, when Angela stood up and went to the bar.

"Perfect" breathed Alex, giving him a subtle thumbs up. She watched as he leaned in alongside her and began to talk to her.

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At half ten, most people were calling it a night, mindful that they had work the next day. Alex waved good bye to Shaz who was sharing a taxi home with Denise, and walked back over to the station to collect Gene. She nodded hello to Sergeant Morris who was manning the night desk, doing a sterling job of drinking coffee and reading the paper.

CID was in darkness apart from Gene's office. The desk light was still on, throwing shadows across the walls. Gene, however, was nowhere to be seen. Alex frowned, where was he? Had he gone over the road to look for her? She did a check of the office and was about to leave when a soft snoring sound caught her ear. She leaned her head round the partition wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the office. Gene was asleep in the chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, chin on his chest. A full mug of coffee rested on the table top beside him. He'd clearly not been at all successful in his efforts to try and stay awake.

She walked over to him slowly, reluctant to disturb him. She stroked his cheek gently. "Gene, wake up, it's late. Time to go home" He stirred, turning his head into her hand, kissing her wrist. He reached out an arm and curved it round her leg, pulling her closer to him. His hand slid up underneath her skirt, stroking up her thigh to the curve of her backside. His fingers splayed out against her flesh, kneading gently, slipping further between her thighs with each movement. With his free hand, he caught her wrist and drew her down to him, his mouth against her ear.

"I'm knackered and you're still making me feel horny, Bolly" he growled, opening his eyes slightly, heavy lidded with a combination of tiredness and lust. "What are you going to do about it? He smiled sleepily, his fingers still teasing, gently.

Alex knew that she really shouldn't be contemplating what she was about to do, she was in the station kitchen for God's sake, but it was late and there was no-one else around and right now Gene looked all rumpled and gorgeous, and so unbelievably shaggable, that it was impossible to be sensible.

"Will you give me my knickers back if I show you?" she breathed, feeling an urgent need for him race through every part of her body. "If I'm a good girl?"

She'd been without him for nearly two months and now she wanted him all the time. A feeling that was mutual, it would seem, judging by the way Gene was stroking her. He turned his head, biting at her neck, and Alex's stomach constricted with desire. Too late to be sensible, she had to have him, now.

She kissed him urgently, nipping and biting at his lower lip, loosening his tie further, and undoing the top few buttons of his shirt. She moved her mouth down his neck, working her way down to lick at the exposed skin of chest. At the same time she moved her leg up, placing her knee on the seat of the chair, between Gene's legs. His fingers could move more freely now, and she wriggled herself onto them, feeling them slip inside her.

Gene laughed quietly and ran his other hand up inside her skirt, splaying it out across the cheek of her arse. "Bolly, I don't think that this is the behaviour of a good girl." She looked at him, moving her hips gently in a rhythm with his fingers. "I don't care" she whispered "You're not the only one who's horny. I want you."

Gene growled deep in his chest, tipping his head to one side to expose more of his throat. "You shag me now, Bols and as much as I want you, I'm not going to last five seconds. I'm too knackered to do you justice. I'll be over before you've even begun" His fingers still kept moving inside her, his other hand stroking the cleft of her arse cheeks.

"So, do something that'll make me come quicker" she breathed "You're a man of experience, Gene. I'm sure you know how to give me the benefit of it" she teased, holding his gaze, seeing the lust in his eyes, knowing that his expression was mirrored on her face. She ached for him, her knees starting to shake just at the thought of him pushing inside her, filling her up, fucking her hard.

His mouth curled into a lascivious grin. "Well, there is one thing I could do….?"

Alex started to undo his belt and trousers, her fingers shaking now, as well as her legs.

"What? Will it make me come, hard and fast? I've been thinking about it all evening." she whispered, licking at his neck, her hands reaching inside his boxers. "That's what I need you to do me. I need you to make me come so hard I want to scream. "

Gene looked at her, his eyes shinning with wicked intent. "Oh, it'll make you come, it'll make you explode. Mind you, best not to scream Bols. Sergeant Morris will be in to see what all the noise is. He's getting on a bit, he'll have a heart attack if he cops an eyeful of you" he said quietly, his voice unsteady as she stroked his balls with her fingers.

"Not sure if I should do it, though. I think you're far too much of good girl Alex...Oh….. maybe you're not….." he gasped, as she took hold of his cock, squeezing him gently, taking the hot, straining length of him in her hand. She took her leg away from between his and straddled him, sitting on his lap. She kissed him again, urgently as both of his hands moved round to cup the cheeks of her backside.

"I want you now, Gene" she moaned softly. "So you just go right ahead and make me explode"

She moved up his lap, putting her hands on his shoulders and pulling herself up. She felt his hands lifting her, easing her down onto him. She was soaking and he slid into her easily with a muffled groan.

She began to move, rocking her hips backward and forwards, slowly at first, trying to make it last as long as possible, knowing that he was holding himself,back, but getting harder and faster as she felt Gene tense. "Oh… god.. that's good" he gasped "not gonna last much longer though…." She could feel her climax building up in waves through her, but she knew that he just wasn't going to be able to hold on for long enough. She felt his hands, wet from her juices, spreading out her arse cheeks, gripping tightly.

Alex looked deep into his eyes, almost unfocused with sheer desire now, knowing what he was going to do. "Yes Gene" she groaned "Now…… do it now" Watching her face intently, his brow knotted in concentration, fighting for control, he gently, but firmly eased his middle finger into her arse, pushing it in and out in time with Alex's thrusts.

Alex's whole body was instantly wracked with sensation, her hips bucking wildly. "Ohhhh!...Fucking Hell!...Oh God!" she moaned loudly, before dropping her head down onto Gene's shoulder, biting at the material of his jacket to muffle her cries. She felt him push into her frantically, one hand gripping her hip now, holding her down on to his cock as hecame, pulsing hard into her. He threw his head back and let out a wordless shout, before burying his face in Alex's neck, groaning deeply. Alex held on to his shoulders tightly, her body shuddering.

When they'd both recovered enough to be able to move, she drew in a ragged breath ,easing herself off Gene's lap. "Christ! That was bloody exquisite" she breathed "I thought I was going to melt" She leaned against the table to get her breath back properly.

Gene looked at her in lazy amusement, his head leaning back against the wall, his whole body totally relaxed. "I'm still not giving you your knickers back, though, Bolly."

"Why not!" she asked indignantly "Don't you dare tell me I wasn't good!" she warned.

"Oh, you were bloody awesome, Bols, but it's clear to me that you're not a good girl, at all. You're absolutely filthy, Alex Drake" He stood up slowly and kissed her deeply. "Makes me love you even more." He shook his head, with a wry grin, noting her suprise at what he'd just told her. "I've not even moved my stuff in yet and you're making me go all nancy-boy. You're driving home, I can hardly stand up. You'll wear me out, keep shagging me at this rate."

Alex found his car keys as Gene collected his coat. They walked down the front steps to the car, arms around each other. Sergeant Morris watched them go. "Don't think I don't know what you two've been up to" he said to himself with a grin.


	25. Chapter 25

The following morning saw Alex sitting outside the Super's office like a naughty child waiting to see the Headmaster. She had no idea why he needed to see her, but the very fact that Gene was already in there, and had been for the last ten minutes, made her stomach constrict with nerves. She wondered if they'd been seen last night, and someone had reported them. Well, it's my fault, she thought. I was the one that was too horny to wait until we got home. She let out a deep sigh and dropped her head into her hands. The door opened, and Gene stood there, his face betraying nothing.

"The Super would like a word with us both Alex" he told her, his tone of voice as neutral as his expression.

Shit, she grimaced, this going to look great on my record. Gritting her teeth, Alex stood up and walked in the office with a sinking feeling. She glanced across at Gene who had moved back to lean against the wall, leaving the chair free for her, and surprisingly, he winked at her, raising his eyebrows wickedly.

The Super smiled at her, benignly. "Alex, good of you to join us. I've just been discussing things with DCI Hunt, and we both feel that it's time you went back to CID."

Alex looked shocked, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Well, that's what you wanted, wasn't it?" the Super continued, as Alex tried to concentrate on what he was saying through the sheer relief of not being found out.

"Your report is fantastic, a marvellous piece of work, and, naturally, you'll be asked to be part of the presentation for other senior officers. However, both you and DCI Hunt have expressed a desire to you to return to the CID team, and I can see how important it is for you to be involved at the "sharp end" of it all." He smiled at Alex. "As from today, I'm moving you back down there. I'll no doubt be asking you to undertake certain other projects for me, as and when they arise, but I'll make sure that they fit in with your CID duties. We don't want you letting the team down"

He paused for a moment and his face grew more serious as he looked from Alex to Gene.

"Now, that brings me on to my second subject, namely, the relationship that seems to once more exist between the two of you."

Alex risked a glance at Gene, seeing his face darken at the Super's words. She gave him a warning frown, and he looked down at his hands, unconsciously balled into fists. She saw him force himself to relax them, digging them deep into his pockets. He closed his eyes, briefly, his face twisted into a fierce scowl.

"Quite frankly, I've never encountered a situation like this so high up in the ranks. It's usually uniform where his sort of thing occurs. I didn't say anything about the first time that this happened between you, but don't think for a minute, I didn't know about it."

He frowned at them both and Alex was suddenly reminded that although the Super could give the impression of being a genial, golf-obsessed, pen-pusher, he was actually extremely clued-up about everything that happened in his station and amongst his staff.

"I left well alone last time, as I wasn't entirely sure if you'd last the distance. I knew I was correct in that assumption when DCI Hunt asked for you to be seconded to this project, but, if I hadn't needed your expertise in that, DI Drake, I'd have left the two of you to bloody well sort it out for yourselves."

The frown deepened, and Alex felt even more as though she was sitting in front of the Headmaster. She realized that she was holding her breath, her whole body tense. Gene remained where he was, hands in his pockets, staring down at his feet, a study of unconcerned nonchalance, but Alex could see the tightness of his jaw and the muscle that jumped in his cheek.

The Super looked at them both for a long time, assessing them both. "It would seem that it's more serious this time. That you have announced your intention to move in with DI Drake. I think the word that you apparently used last night was "properly" – is that correct DCI Hunt?"

Gene looked up, his face truculent "Yes Sir" he replied, his voice clipped. "Last time, it just sort of happened, Sir. As a result of me staying with DI Drake after I'd been shot. This time, we're making a proper go of it. I'm sorry if it puts a spanner in the works Sir, but I can't help how I feel."

He looked back down at the floor, lips pressed tightly together, as if to stop himself from saying anything else.

Alex saw the Super suppress a small grin "Well, thank you for your honesty on the subject, Gene. It's much appreciated. I'm not going to tell you that you have to stop seeing each other. I have no reason to do so, and I know that it would just be totally counter-productive. I'm going to leave this entire matter in your own hands. It's your team, therefore, it's up to you to deal with this issue as you see fit. However," he continued ominously, as Gene raised his head in surprise, "I'll give you both this ultimatum. If your personal relationship affects the running of CID in any way, to the detriment of its performance, or the reputation of my station, I'll have you both transferred straight away, to opposite ends of the bloody country!"

He glared at the both for a second and then grinned. "That's enough lecturing for now I think. Off you go Gene, I just need a word with Alex."

Gene straightened up and took the Super's proffered hand. "Thank you Sir" he said gruffly. He turned to Alex "When you're finished here, I need your help with interviewing the women from the garment factory." He shut the door quietly behind him, leaving Alex and the Super alone.

He smiled at her reassuringly "Between you and me, your request to return to CID came at just the right time. DCI Hunt asked me yesterday if he could have your help with factory robbery. As you're no doubt aware, all but one the employees are Bangladeshi women, and Gene, thankfully, is only too aware of how racially sensitive this case is. He's very keen to go about this the right way"

Alex gave the Super a look of measured surprise and he laughed at her expression.

"He's changing DI Drake, very slowly, I'll grant you, but it is happening. I have to say that I put it directly down to your influence on him. Gene is very much an old-school copper and I certainly don't have to tell you how that's viewed these days."

There, it was again, realised Alex. The Super used his first name. That's a great sign, some thing's changed between these two, she thought elatedly.

"I'll be totally honest with you, Alex. This last year, I wouldn't have put money on Gene to last another six months in the job. He'd hit rock-bottom. Didn't seem to care about it either."

He sighed, shaking his head "When he first transferred from Manchester, I was delighted to have him here. His superiors had good things to say about him, his team was loyal to him, even to the point of transferring down here with him. However, I did begin to question my decision over the course of the next year. DCI Hunt seemed to be a lost soul in our big city. Part of me wondered if he'd ever find his feet. I realise now that he was very badly affected by the death of DI Tyler. I'm certain that this played a large part in his attitude for a while. I'm sure he despaired of ever finding his way again."

The Super smiled at her, his eyes twinkling "And then you arrived, DI Drake, and slowly but surely, began to work your particular brand of magic on our recalcitrant DCI. Suddenly, he seemed willingly to step up to the plate and start producing results. I know we had the Hollis incident, but whilst I don't condone it, I can quite see that having a member of his team attacked and injured so seriously, was more than enough to sway his judgement. However, since then, he seems to have gone from strength to strength. I'm extremely pleased with both his attitude and his results this year. The Waltham case especially. The way Gene worked in conjunction with DCI Fletcher was noted at the highest level. Not to mention his tenacity in effecting the rescue of yourself from a highly dangerous situation. 'Amour Vincit Omnia', indeed, DI Drake."

Alex smiled, blushing slightly, as the Super went on. "You are no doubt aware of the effect that the Scarman report is having on us all. Officers are being transferred, or pensioned off, all around us. Getting rid of the old guard who are too set in their ways. Last year I would have stated categorically that Gene would have been amongst them, but that's all changed now. The force is at risk of becoming unstable as a result of all this change and the loss of many older, experienced officers. We need steady hands the helm. A number of new departments are in the process of being created and we'll need reliable officers to head these up. Gene's a bloody good copper and he's got an important part to play in these changes." He gave her a serious, assessing look, and Alex felt the butterflies in her stomach start again . It was clear that the Super had big plans for Gene, whether he liked it or not.

"I can't say to much more at the present time, but what I can say is that the changes have been approved at the highest level, and his future at this station is secure, providing he continues the way he is at the moment. What I need you to do is to continue help DCI Hunt in improving and adapting to the new methods. You've done a splendid job so far, even if you didn't realise it. Can I count on you, Alex?"

"Of course you can Sir. Can I ask one just one question? Does DCI Hunt know about your plans for him?"

The Super laughed "No! Not in the slightest! Good God, he'd fight me tooth and nail if I even suggested he changed role. He turned down the chance to be a Superintendent in Manchester, you know. I'm well aware of Gene's opinion of us "suits". No, I'm keeping this between you and me for now. Best not to distract him with it as he's doing so well."

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Alex took the lift back down to CID, her mind racing with everything he just told her. She felt slightly odd in keeping what she knew to herself, but she knew that it wasn't her decision to do so. It was on the orders of a senior officer, and she was ecstatic that the Super's attitude to Gene had swung round to being so positive.

Gene was waiting impatiently for her in his office, coat already on, car keys in hand. "Bloody Christ, Bolly! What the hell were you two nattering about? I've had two mugs of tea and half a packet of biscuits while waiting for you. Get a bloody move on!"

Alex rolled her eyes at Shaz and grabbed her coat from her chair.

"And don't start wittering on to Grainger, either. She's coming with us, so you can do your gossiping in the car. Chris can sit up front with me."

"How are we going to interview the workers if they're Bangladeshi? We'll need an interpreter." She reached over and pinched the last two biscuits from the packet in his hand.

"Oi! Do you mind? They're my favourite!"

"Now, now children, share nicely" remarked Ray, looking up from his desk with a grin. "Nice one Ma'am. I asked 'im for one earlier and he wouldn't let me 'ave one." Alex laughed and handed Ray one of the biscuits.

"Shut up, Raymondo……. Oh, that's really taking the piss now Bolly. I'm wounded to the core. Stealing my biscuits to give to that useless scrounger. DS Carling, you're supposed to be out talking to all our friendly neighbourhood druggies and pushers."

"I'm going, I'm going. Just checking some addresses"

Gene grinned back at him as he strode towards the doors, Chris and Shaz close behind him.

"You haven't answered my question" Alex told Gene, as they climbed into the car, suppressing a smile at the sight of Chris's face as he realized that he really was going to be allowed to sit in the front seat for once.

"The secretary at the factory, a Mrs Rosalind Ward, is bi-lingual. Well, more than that, she speaks 3 Indian dialects, Bengali, Hindi and Tamil. I spoke to her briefly yesterday. She's the one that called us. Nice old bird, grew up in India. Her husband used to be in business with Mr Rahman's father. He's the factory owner. Everyone's going to be at the Community Centre from half ten onwards for us to interview. No point doing it yesterday, they were all too upset."

Alex saw Gene's face in the rear-view mirror. He looked grim and Alex privately thought that the staff weren't the only ones that had been too upset. Finding the bodies of nine young women must have been a horrifying experience even for a policeman as hardened as him.

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The Community Centre was an old Victorian school, run-down and covered in graffiti. Litter and broken glass crunched underfoot as they made their way inside. The caretaker met them in the reception area and showed them into the office that he'd unlocked for them to conduct interviews in. Gene looked round and nodded at him.

"Good. Just what we need. There's a kettle and everything. Chris, go round the corner to the shop and get some biscuits. I get the feeling that none of us will get any lunch today."

Alex busied herself shifting the furniture around, moving the table over near the door and placing two chairs at the far end of the room. She laid out her notebook and pens, the tape recorder and the file with all of Gene's notes from the previous day in it, neatly typed up by Shaz that morning.

Chris returned clutching packets of Bourbons and Custard Creams. He looked puzzled at the arrangement of the furniture. "Why's the desk do near the door, Guv and why are you right at the back of the room? You can't interview from there." Alex kept quiet, wanting to see if Gene would explain things to him correctly.

"All the women we're going to interview today are Muslims. It's not considered proper for them to talk to men who aren't members of their family, especially when they themselves are not accompanied by a male relative. I don't want to cause them any more distress than they've already been through and I certainly don't want to offend the local Bangladeshi community. So DI Drake is going to do the interviews, with Mrs Ward as interpreter. We'll ask the women to be interviewed in pairs, that way they'll feel more at ease. I need to hear what they have to say, but we'll be sitting at the back of the room. You are here to watch and learn how this is done, Christopher. We don't speak to them directly, we don't make eye-contact with them and we don't stand too near them, OK? We sit here quietly and try not to make ourselves noticable. That's correct, isn't it, DI Drake?" He looked over at her challengingly, and Alex knew that she was supposed to be impressed by his level of understanding.

"Quite correct. Well done. Shall we ask Shaz to send the first pair in?" She turned back to her notes, trying to fix the sequence of yesterday's events in her mind.

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By three o'clock, Alex was dying for a cup of tea and all the women had been interviewed. None of their stories differed. Four masked men with shotguns had come into the main workroom, and shouted at them all to get outside. They'd all understood the gestures rather than the actually words that the men had shouted. They'd all gone outside and then the police had arrived shortly before the fire had started.

Alex sighed tiredly, sorting our her notes into neat piles. She smiled gratefully as Gene placed a mug of tea on the desk in front of her. He'd sent Chris and Shaz back to the station half an hour ago with instructions to dig up as much information as possible about the building's owner.

His hand brushed lightly across her back as he pulled up a chair next to her. Alex instinctively leaned against him, as he sat down, her chin resting on her hand, her leg entwining with his. He turned and kissed her lightly, making her smile deepen. Gene tapped the pile of papers in front of him.

"Stop distracting me, Alex" he said with mock severity. "I've no desire to be transferred to Newcastle. They make great brown ale, but its bloody freezing up there most of the time."

Alex pulled a face. "You could end up in Cornwall. Better weather, and all the pasties you could eat."

"Tempting, but still no good" he growled. "That would mean you'd be in Newcastle. Sodding long way to travel for a shag, Bols."

"Oh, you say the most romantic things Mr Hunt." It was her turn to tap the interview statements. "Come on, concentrate. What have we learned from this morning? They didn't want hostages. They knew exactly what they were doing. The fire was started with petrol from the caretaker's storeroom." She stopped, frowning "Why did he keep petrol in there? Nothing runs on petrol. All the sewing machines run on electricity. Is there a generator?"

She looked enquiringly at Gene who was silent, staring into space. "This wasn't a robbery" he said, slowly. "When we got there, they weren't interested in "entering into a dialogue" with us" He waggled his fingers in the air. "See Bolly, I'm learning. All they wanted was to be in the building on their own. They didn't need to talk to us because they already knew how they were going to get out. All they wanted to do was wait until the fire took hold. Then they went over the roof and got into the next building" He paused "They must have had a key because none of the locks were forced." He frowned, "It was a Monday. Nobody does an armed blag on a Monday"

"Why?" Alex asked "Is it the official day off for armed robbers?"

He looked at her as though she'd lost her mind "Because on Monday, there's nothing to steal. Payday is on Friday" he said slowly, as if speaking to an imbecile. "Everyone gets their wages on a Friday. All the takings and petty cash are banked before the weekend."

"Right. I understand now. They get paid in cash. They don't have their wages paid directly into their bank accounts." Alex dragged her thinking back from 2008 business practice to the 1980's.

Gene shook his head "Doubt any of them have a bank account" He stood up, pacing back and forth. "They knew the layout of the building, they worked out the route over the roof…… Who owns next door?" he asked suddenly. "Why's it empty? There was a mechanic working from there until recently. Why've they moved?" He drifted off, staring into space again. Abruptly, he banged his hand down on the table, making Alex jump.

"Insurance!" he shouted "It's a bloody insurance job. Either that or someone's got a grudge against Mr Rahman. Bring him in, we'll soon find out"

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Mr Rahman was easy to interview. He gave clear and concise answers and they were soon able to build up a picture of a business that was doing very well, too well in fact, as Mr Rahman had had to start running a night shift to complete his orders on time. He'd taken on extra staff, some of them illegal workers, but he'd been more concerned with getting the job done than the employment laws. He also told them that the landlord of the building, a Mr. Derbyshire, had tried to get them to move to different premises on several occasions, but he'd refused each time as it would mean too much disruption to the business.

"Could Mr Derbyshire force you to move, give you notice, even though you'd refused?" asked Gene.

Mr Rahman shook his head. "No, not until our lease had only six months to run. Before that time he's obliged to pay us for the loss of contracts and income that moving would cause us. It's in the terms of our lease. We signed it 2 years ago and we still have 2 years to go."

Gene nodded slowly. "One last thing, Mr Rahman. Is the building caretaker, a Mr James Beattie, in your employ, or Mr Derbyshire's?"

"Mr Derbyshire's. He arrived at the factory 3 months ago. He patched up the leaks in the roof, that sort of thing. He keeps himself to himself. The only time I saw him at all last week was when he was showing the council gentlemen around."

"The council gentlemen?" queried Gene.

"Yes. They were measuring the building. I have no idea why. That's how my workers knew where to hide. I took them to the store room on that occasion to avoid any awkward questions. I had no idea that they would do the same thing when the armed robbers struck. I tried to go and find them, but they threatened to shoot me! I should have let them. Anything would be better than the deaths of those women on my conscience." Mr Rahman broke off with a sob, hiding his face in his hands.

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They sent Mr Rahman home and Alex asked Mrs Ward to come back in. "I'm sorry it's taken so long, you've been most helpful this morning. We couldn't have done it without you."

Mrs Ward was in her seventies, whip-thin, with long sliver hair pinned up into a loose bun on the top of her head. Alex recognized her type instantly; women who had a core of inner-strength, and could who quietly and efficiently get on with things no matter what. Gene seemed to have worked her out too, and it was obvious that he liked her a great deal. He stood up when she entered the room, pulling out her chair, and asking if she would like a cup of tea.

Mrs Ward nodded enthusiastically. "Gosh, yes. I'd love a cup. Can't think without a decent cup of tea"

"There's no cups I'm afraid, only mugs" he told her apologetically.

"Not to worry Detective Chief Inspector, I'm not fussy."

Alex waited until Gene had made the tea before starting the interview. "Mrs Ward, you went to the factory yesterday to finish off some paperwork, even though Monday is normally your day off"

"Yes, that's right. It needed to be done for an order that was going out on Tuesday and I had a free afternoon, so I thought that I may as well get it completed so as not to be under pressure the following morning. I'd just reached my office when the robbers came through the door from the yard, so I naturally picked up the telephone and called the police."

Gene leaned forward and spoke quietly to her "Mrs Ward, these men had shotguns. They were shouting at everyone to get out. They told everyone quite clearly _not_ to call the police. Did it not occur to you just to do as they said? Most people would have been terrified."

She smiled grimly. "I'm not most people, DCI Hunt." She drew back the sleeves of her jumper, revealing thick silver scars that twisted and puckered her skin, right the way around both of her wrists. "Wire marks" she said abruptly. "I was in Singapore in 1942 and didn't quite make it out in time. I spent 3 years in a Jap POW camp, so I've had enough experience of men with guns. I watched them take my daughters away when they were dying from typhoid. I stood in burning sun, forced to witness my friends executed for trying to escape, and I was hung up by my wrists for 3 days for stealing more food for us to eat. I'm not likely to be frightened by 4 silly young men who didn't even know how to hold their guns properly." She rubbed her wrists briskly, pulling her sleeves back down.

Gene was silent for a moment. "Mrs Ward, please forgive me. You are most definitely not "most people" and I'm sorry if I've offended you." Alex was both astonished, and proud of Gene at that moment. She watched as Mrs Ward took a sip of her tea.

"Thank you very much, DCI Hunt. No offence taken."

"What gave you the impression that they weren't used to handling guns?"

She shook her head "I can't really put it into words. They just looked uncomfortable with them. Awkward. Men who are used to guns, well, the weapon just becomes an extension of themselves." She gestured "Like yourself, Mr Hunt. You carry a gun, but it's a part of you. You're not consciously aware of it all the time. These men were different. They didn't really carry the guns, the guns were carrying them."

"Could you identify any of them? I know it's difficult as they were masked, but anything at all would be helpful."

Mrs Ward smiled "Well one of them was definitely James Beattie and I'd put money on one of the others being his brother or a close relative"

"Really?" asked Alex "How could tell?"

"I have a degree in Psychology, went back to University in the late 1960's, as a mature student, after my husband died. Had a hell of a time convincing them to let me take the course. Part of my studies involved body-language. James Beattie has a very distinctive way of moving, very cocky. I recognized him immediately. The other man had the same stance as him, the same gestures" She stopped. "I suppose that you're going to tell me that you can't identify some-one in this way, aren't you Inspector"

Alex shook her head in delight "No, not all. It's perfectly possible"

Gene sighed heavily, but he was smiling. "Mrs Ward, DI Drake also has a degree in Psychology." He looked at his watch. "I'm needed down at the factory in twenty minutes. The Fire Investigation Officer is going to walk me through the site. I suggest that you drop me there and continue the fascinating conversation that you are no doubt about have, in the car, as DI Drake drives you home."


	26. Chapter 26

"Right, where can I drop you?" Alex asked, pulling away from the curb sedately, aware that Gene was still watching her drive away in his precious car.

"Islington, Duncan Terrace" replied Mrs Ward.

"What a coincidence. That's just around the corner from me." exclaimed Alex.

When they arrived at her house, Mrs Ward, who by now had instructed Alex to call her Rosalind, invited her in for tea and Alex didn't have the heart to refuse. It was late afternoon by this time and they'd do no more work on the investigation until the following morning.

While Rosalind made tea in the kitchen, Alex wandered around the sitting room, pausing to study a collection of photographs that stood in heavy silver frames on a table by the window. She recognized Mrs Ward on her wedding day, resplendent in a very beautiful bias-cut 1930's style gown, her husband standing beside her, tall and proud in his Army uniform.

"That's Michael. He was in the Intelligence Corp during the war. I had no contact with him for over three years. Everyone was convinced that he was dead, but I knew in my heart that I'd see him again." Rosalind put the tea tray down on a low table by the fireplace and came over to where Alex stood.

Alex smiled wistfully and turned to study the photo next it. Two pretty little girls wearing white cotton frocks and ribbons in their hair stood either side of an older Rosalind, all three of them smiling happily. To her horror, Alex felt tears begin to gather in her eyes. She thought of Molly, just as lost to her, as these two girls were to Mrs Ward. Try as she might she couldn't summon up a memory of Molly's face. She could hear her laughter and see her running away from her, towards someone else, but nothing more than that. She took a deep breath, pressing her hand to her lips to stop herself crying.

"DI Drake? Are you all right?" Rosalind's face was full of concern.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine… I'm so sorry. Silly of me really" She felt embarrassed, crying for her child who was alive and happy, unlike Mrs Ward's who had both died a horrible death without their mother there to comfort them. Rosalind looked past Alex to the photograph.

"Ah" she said softly "You were looking my girls. They were ten and eight when that was taken. A month or so before Singapore fell. We were going to lunch with some friends. Michael was leaving for India. It was the last time we were together as a family."

She picked up the photo frame and handed it to Alex. "That's Molly," she said pointing to the eldest child, "and that's Anne. They were such happy children, always laughing."

Alex looked at her tearfully. "I have… had a daughter called Molly."

Rosalind looked at her sadly "Have, or had, a daughter DI Drake?" she asked gently "Is that why you were crying?"

Alex nodded "Had" she whispered "She's gone from me now. Its better that way, but I still miss her sometimes." She paused, before giving voice to the thought that troubled her the most "But not as I much as I should."

"You feel guilty? For getting on with your life, for living without her?"

"Yes" Alex wiped away the tears. "Yes. I feel guilty. I left her behind. I think at a point in my life here, I made a decision to live without her, and now I have a whole new existence. I live with a man,…. I _love _a man that she'll never meet. I share my life with people that will never know her and it makes me feel guilty that I can still continue to live and love without my child." She stopped, her voice breaking, and Rosalind took her hand in hers.

"Alex, that's nothing to feel guilty about. It's human nature. We adapt, we heal our wounds. We have to, otherwise how would we ever find the strength to go on? When my girls were taken from me, I made myself forget them. I focused only on surviving, living through the hell of the camp, just to have a chance to maybe see Michael again. There were other women who just gave up. They lay down and died of despair. I couldn't. I loved my girls, but I loved my husband too, and it was the thought of him that kept me going. He was always so strong, so protective of me, but underneath it all he needed me to take care of him just as much as I needed him. I couldn't bear the thought of him all alone in the world. "

She patted Alex's hand and moved back towards the tea things. "This is getting cold, my dear. I'll pour. A cup of tea always seems to everything feel so much better, doesn't it? Milk and sugar?"

Alex smiled shakily, grateful for Rosalind's words of advice and the comfort of a very English ritual. She left the photographs and came to sit down, taking the proffered teacup.

"So, am I correct in presuming that DCI Hunt is the man you were referring too?"

Alex looked up in surprise and Rosalind smiled "Don't look so astonished. It's perfectly obvious that you're a couple. There's just something about the way you are together. A closeness." She took a sip of her tea "Lucky you, finding a man who loves you that much."

She saw Alex frown in puzzlement. "It's the way he looks at you, my dear. He looks at you as though nothing else in this world exists for him at that moment, but you." Alex blushed and Mrs Ward laughed. "You hold on to him. Men like Mr Hunt are few and far between."

"I will" smiled Alex. "I'll hold onto him as long as he'll let me."

"Well, just be sure to let me know where the wedding is and I'll come and throw some confetti."

"Oh no. We're not going to get married. No, no…. we just live together" Alex tailed off, not knowing what else to say and Rosalind quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Married or not, you two are made for each other. Now, drink up. I distinctly remember Mr. Hunt saying he had an appointment with a Mr Luigi at six and that you weren't to be late collecting him."

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She collected Gene from the Fire Station, near Liverpool Street. He was still deep in conversation with the Fire Investigation Officer and Alex had to wait another fifteen minutes before he finished.

"Sorry Bolly. Didn't mean to be that long." He kissed her cheek as he pulled on his coat.

Alex shrugged "Not a problem. I've been admiring the view while I waited." He frowned at her, not understanding what she meant and she gestured towards the window. In the garage, under the glare of the yard lights, the fire crews were hosing down the appliances.

"Fit men in soaking wet uniforms" she growled "Yum." Gene looked affronted. "I've got a uniform…. Some where. My dress uniform. Anyway, I thought you liked me in a suit" She grinned at him. "Uniform, suit, naked…. I like you all ways, Gene" she slipped her arm through his "Come on, I need a drink and then I need you to take me home and do what you do best."

When they reached Luigi's, the lads were already there and in a very silly mood. The conversation revolved around cars, tits, and endless games of "Shoot, Marry or Shag" . Alex rapidly lost any pretence of interest, taking herself off to bar to sit by herself. The sadness and guilt that she had felt at Mrs Ward's were beginning to coalesce into anger. Anger directed purely at herself for being happy in her new life. She felt disjointed and lost, and knew that she was powerless to do anything about it. Not even the sight of Gene laughing and joking with Chris could drag her out of her bad mood. She finished her wine and refused a refill. "Just water for me please Luigi. " Alex knew onlt too well what would happen if she kept drinking. The anger would be fuelled by the alcohol and she'd take it all out on Gene. He didn't deserve that. This was her issue to deal with, not his.

She knew that she couldn't ask Gene to leave too early; it would look as though he was "under the thumb" already, so she prepared herself for a long wait. There wasn't even Shaz to talk to; she'd gone out with a few of the WPCs to another bar. Alex was briefly considering going to join them, when Gene appeared at her side.

"Let's go Bolly. I can think of much better ways to spend my evening. If I have much more to drink, I'll end up telling them all about how great your tits are and that wouldn't be a good thing to do." He held up his hands, palms forward as he saw Alex's furious look.

"Joke! I'm joking! I'd never do that."

She glared at him. "Car keys." He fished in his pockets, pulling them out and dropping them into her hand.

"You going already, Guv?" shouted DS Bartlett.

"Too bloody right I am. Why am I going to sit and drink myself stupid with you lot when I can go home with this gorgeous woman."

They laughed and Alex shut her ears to some of the more earthy comments as she walked up the stairs.

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Gene shut the front door and turned to Alex, his arms sliding round her waist, pulling her close. "I've had to sit and watch you all day and not touch you" he groaned. "Been desperate to do this."

He bent his head and his tongue traced her lips, pushing inside her mouth gently, but insistently. She kissed him back aggressively, biting his lower lip. The anger was still there, but now it was combined with desire. She could feel the heat spreading through her, the physical, aching need driving all other thoughts from her mind. She pushed her hands up under his jacket and his shirt, digging her nails into his back.

"Ow! Alex! What's up with you?" Gene took a step back from her and looked at her quizzically. He began to speak again, but Alex put her fingers to his lips. She shook her head. "Don't talk. Just fuck me" she ordered. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her abrupt tone of voice.

"I need you. I want you to fuck me so hard that I forget everything, but the feeling of you inside me."

She looked up at him, her face serious and she saw him realize she actually meant it, that it wasn't a game, she desperately needed the oblivion that sex sometimes brought. He traced a finger down her cheek, running it over her lips. She opened her mouth and bit down, hard. Gene's eyes widened and she saw them darken with lust.

"So that's how you want it, is it" he breathed, and she smiled wolfishly at him without a trace of amusement. "You sure?" he asked, and she made no reply other than to rake her nails down his back again, hard enough to leave red lines this time.

"Right, that's it. You're gonna get it now, Bolly" he growled.

His mouth claimed hers, bruising her lips. Alex felt herself melt against him as he pushed her back against the wall, his hands ripping at the buttons of her shirt. He kissed his way roughly down her body, undoing her bra, his mouth finding her breast. She struggled out of her clothes as he sucked hard at her taut, aching nipple, grazing it with his teeth. "Harder" she moaned "Bite". He nipped at her softly, then without warning, bit harder. "Ohhhhh! Yes! Again!" Her hands came down to tangle in his hair, tugging at it, drawing him up to her. "Need to kiss you you" she gasped, "need you in me."

Gene growled, his mouth on her neck. "Not yet". He reached a hand down, undoing her jeans, sliding them down over her arse, along with her knickers, as Alex pulled at the belt of his trousers. She pulled one leg up and out of her jeans, wrapping it round his hip, as her hands dragged his trousers and boxers down, roughly. She was frantic now, desperate for the feeling of him inside her. He moved his arm, hooking it her bare leg, moving it higher up to his waist. She could feel his cock, nudging against her, teasing, pushing gently, but not entering.

"What do you want Alex" he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. "You" she panted, "Want you, Gene….inside me…..need you" He grabbed her wrists as she reached for him, holding them up over her head against the wall, away from him. His mouth sucked hard at her other breast now, teeth biting again, hard, and Alex felt herself convulse with sensations that blurred the line between pleasure and pain. She threw her head back and moaned in ecstasy, trying to push herself down hard onto his cock. He moved away slightly, making her cry out in frustration. "Please Gene, don't tease me, I need you……Now!" She snarled the last word at him, writhing against him, biting his shoulder and neck, trying to free her hands so that she could touch him.

"You want me to fuck you now, Alex?" he whispered, against her mouth, the length of his body pressed hard against hers. "Hard? Filling you up? Making you come so hard you scream."

He came her no chance to reply, thrusting inside her as hard as he could. Alex threw back her head and shouted, her hands on his hips, pulling him into her. He groaned, and thrust deeper, his hands gripping the cheeks of her arse, his teeth grazing her neck. "More," Alex demanded, grinding her hips against his "Harder."

"No", Gene slowed his thrusts, settling into a steady rhythm that made her moan with a combination of frustration and pleasure. She pushed her hands into his hair and pulled him closer to her, kissing his neck, licking at the sheen of sweat that covered his skin. "Ohhh , yes, god, please Gene, please" She was almost incoherent with need, begging now "Harder, faster,…..need you……. need you so much," her body tightening and pulsing around him. Alex felt him tense, and his rhythm changed, moving faster, thrusting harder, pushing himself up into her as deep as he could. She felt herself explode, her body shuddering as she spilled over him. He groaned deeply, thrusting into her again and again, grunting as he came, holding onto her tightly.

Alex felt her whole body shake with aftershocks, her chest heaving with the effort of drawing breath and she realized suddenly, that she was crying, great racking sobs that wrenched from her throat. Gene let her leg down hurriedly, reaching for his trousers and pulling them back up.

"Oh God, Alex. Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I thought you were OK with it like that, I didn't mean to…." He took her face between his hands, and Alex saw his expression, full of worry and concern. "No, no. You didn't hurt me. It's not you…" she shook her head, unable to go on, her throat closing over with more tears.

He looked at her silently in confusion, before swinging her up into his arms and carrying her upstairs to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, and knelt on the floor beside her.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked her, brushing her hair away from her face. "If you do, I'm more than likely to be bloody hopeless at it. I'm crap at this sort of thing" He gave her a wry grin, that widened as she smiled shakily back at him.

"Hold me" she whispered. He climbed onto the bed beside her and wrapped his arm around her as she nestled into his chest. Slowly, Alex told him about the photograph of Mrs Ward's children, the pain of not being able to remember Molly, the guilt she felt about getting on her life without her child.

"I love my life here, I love being with you, but right now, this evening, I feel lost and alone. Incomplete."

Gene said nothing for a while, his hand gently stroking her back. Finally he drew back from her, tipping her chin up so that he could see her face.

"Do you want another child, Alex?" he asked her, solemnly. "I know that you could never replace Molly, but would having another baby help?" Alex didn't reply, just stared at him, and he dropped his eyes from hers "Sorry," he mumbled, "Told you I was crap at this. What a bloody stupid thing to say." He rubbed his hand across his face. "I'll leave you alone."

He went to move and she grabbed his arm. "No! Gene, stay. It's not a stupid thing to say. I know how you meant it." He settled back down next to her with a relieved sigh.

"You don't want any children. You said so in the pub"

Gene shrugged awkwardly and Alex saw that he was uncomfortable "True" he said, "but I do like kids and if it made you happy, if it's what you needed to make you feel complete again, I could do it. Give us six months or so to get settled here. Then we could start trying…" His voice dropped to a whisper "I'd do anything for you, Alex, surely you must know that."

Alex studied him for a moment, realizing how vulnerable he suddenly looked. He was always so strong for her, so in charge of everything, but right at that moment, the illusion was shattered. His guard was totally down and she saw right into the heart of him, all the love and the need that he felt for her. At that precise moment Alex realized that what he'd just said to her, meant more than anything, more than "I love you." He would willingly to change his whole life to make her happy.

She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Gene Hunt, you are an amazing man. Thank you for what you've just offered me" She stroked his face with her fingers. "I'm, happy as I am, with you. I don't need another child. I just need you to hold me when I cry for the one I've lost."

He smiled gently at her. "As long as you're sure. I just want you to be happy." He sat up and began to remove the rest of their clothes, throwing them in a heap by the bed, then pulling the duvet over them both . He reached for her, pulling her back against him, kissing her shoulders and holding her close. Slowly, they drifted off to sleep.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

**Thank you for all your reviews of the previous two chapters. I'm glad you like Mrs Ward. She's based on Ros, my much-loved unofficial Godmother (I'm not baptised so can't have a real one), who was such an important part of my childhood.**

Alex slept badly, waking several times in the early hours. Each time she went back to sleep, she was troubled by the same dream; an image of Molly, blurred and ghostly-looking, waving goodbye to her.

"Bye Mummy! I love you."

Molly's voice echoed over and over in her head, and at half past five she gave up on sleep, deciding instead, to get up and do something she'd had in her mind ever since the conversation with Gene in the pub on Sunday.

Gene slept peacefully through her showering, and dressing, not even stirring when Alex switched her hair-dryer on. His ability to sleep anywhere, and through anything was really quite remarkable, born of long nights on surveillance and even longer nights out drinking.

When he eventually stirred at seven o'clock, stumbling downstairs, rumpled and creased with sleep, Alex was in the unused sitting room, mug of tea in one hand, slice of toast in the other.

"Alex!" She heard him crashing around in the kitchen, then his footsteps thumping back up the stairs "Alex? Where the bloody hell are you?" He peered blearily round the door at her "Why are you in here? And why are you already dressed?" Someone's got out the wrong side of bed, this morning, she thought.

"Couldn't sleep, so I've been planning. You're right. We should use this room. I've measured it all up and now all we have to do is get some furniture. We need some more things now anyway, china and bedlinen and stuff. Up until now I've just made do the basics." Alex paced enthusiastically up and down across the dark, polished wooden floor. "It's only a month or so until Christmas. I love the kitchen but now there's two of us, it would be good to have another room to use. Get you out from under my feet." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling, completely caught up in her plans.

Gene glared at her. "You've measured up? Jesus, it's far too early in the morning for that level of domesticity. Why is it women always have to go on about buying furniture and cluttering the place up with knick-knacks. Blokes don't do that – bed, sofa, telly, and we're sorted. Nice and simple."

He rattled the doorknob, and turned the key a few times, experimentally. "Mind you, this room's got a lock. Bit of oil and that'll work just fine. I can lock myself in here, when you get too naggy and domestic like you are now. Get a sofa big enough to sleep on, and it'll be great. I can get you out from under _my_ feet" His tone was anything but teasing, and Alex felt herself becoming irritated. What the hell was up with him this morning?

"What makes you think I'm going to get naggy?" she asked, more than a little hurt by his attitude.

He sniffed in derision, turning his mouth down into a grimace "Well of course you are, Bolly. In my experience, all women get naggy after a bit. Not your fault. You can't help it. The female of the species is genetically programmed to nag."

Alex couldn't believe what she was hearing. Where had loving, "I just want you to be happy" Gene disappeared to?

"In your experience? Tell me Gene, just how much experience have you had living with naggy women?"

He leaned against the only piece of furniture in the room, an old, wooden sideboard, his arms folded defensively and glared at her. "Only the wife, but there's been others. They got naggy _without_ me living with them. It always starts off OK, but it then it all goes tits-up after a bit."

Alex suddenly lost her temper. "Gene, if that's how you genuinely think we're going to end up, why on earth are we even bothering to do this? We might as well give up now." She saw the panic that flashed across his face, and realization dawned, although it didn't stop her from being angry with him.

"Oh for God's sake, just because you said some things to me last night that made you feel all vulnerable, does not mean that you have to spend the next few days behaving like a arse, just to gain back the upper hand in our relationship!" Her voice rose in exasperation. "Telling me how you really feel does _not_ mean you're going "all soppy", it does _not_ mean that I'm going to tell anyone else, or throw it back in your face, and nor do I think that you're any less of a man for having said it!"

She paused to draw breath, and saw him start to speak. She jabbed her finger at him, furiously. "Don't you dare say a bloody word! I'm not finished!" His mouth snapped shut and she saw him start to bridle at her words.

"We are both adults, Gene, and I expect you to at least try and behave like one, and not give me all this macho bollocks! I am NOT going to turn into a naggy harridan, simply because we've moved up a level in the serious relationship stakes, but, there's quite possibly every chance of it happening if you continue to behave like a grumpy, misogynistic twat whenever you've said something that frightens you half to death!"

She stood facing him, hands on hips, eyes blazing, worried that she'd gone way too far, but knowing it all needed to be said, and then she realized he was laughing.

"For a woman who doesn't nag, that was a fairly impressive speech, Bolly. Come here." He held out his arms to her and she leaned against him, feeling his arms close around her. "I want to do this…. I'm just not good at it. It's not really me, but I promise I'll do my best. I want to be wi' you, but it's just….." he stopped, unable to continue, trying to find the right words.

"Scary?" she supplied. She felt him nod, his chin against the top of her head. "Yeah, that's it…scary. Terrifies the fucking life out me if you want the truth." There was a long pause, before he continued, gruffly "I'm more scared of being without you though."

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and moved towards the door "Let me go and get showered and dressed, and then we'll both go and take out my bad mood on James Beattie and Colin Derbyshire."

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Gene sent Ray and Chris to bring in Derbyshire, whilst he and Alex trawled the local area for any sign of Beattie. They tracked him down at last in a betting shop, just off Commercial Road, He was weasel-faced, and shaven-headed and what he lacked in stature, he made up for in bolshie attitude. Gene didn't waste any time or politeness on him, grabbing him by the collar when he'd confirmed his identity and dragging him out to the car.

Alex watched the other men in the shop carefully. Of the five punters, three of them were of an age to be possible accomplices. She noted that two of them turned away shiftily, hunching themselves over and pretending to concentrate on the racing papers that they were reading. The third, a youth of about eighteen, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Beattie, looked terrified and tried to push past her roughly.

She caught his arm as he went past, remembering Mrs Ward's theory about the robbers being related. James Beattie shouted back inside to the boy Alex was holding, leaning back and fighting against Gene who was opening the car door.

"Oi Danny! Put my bet on for me, will you bruv? I'll collect it later when I've got rid of this bastard!"

Gene lost patience with him, and shoved him roughly into the car, banging his head off the roof as he did so.

"Oh, I _am_ sorry! I forgot to say 'Mind your head'" mocked Gene, before leaning down to snarl in Beattie's face.

"You're right, pal! I am a bastard and I'll only become a bigger one if you piss me off, Beattie, so shut it!" He slammed the door hard, and turned to Alex. "What you doing wi' that spotty, little scrot?"

"Danny Beattie. Younger brother. Remember what our witness said yesterday?"

"Fabulous. It's a family affair. Stick him in the back wi' the other smart-mouthed little tosser."

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Chris was waiting for them when they got back to CID, having signed the Beattie brothers into the cells. He was almost hopping from foot to foot with excitement.

"It's just like you said yesterday, Guv. About the fire maybe having something to do with the building."

"Did you find Colin Derbyshire?" asked Gene, hanging up his coat.

"Yes Boss. We didn't arrest him. Just asked him to help us with our enquiries. Mind you, he rang his solicitor before he left the house, so he must have a guilty conscience."

"Everyone's got one of those" Gene remarked "We just need to find out why he thinks he needs a brief just to answer a few questions" He sat down to his desk. "Come on then Christopher, dazzle me with the brilliance of your deductive powers."

Chris looked disconcerted at Gene's mood, glancing over at Alex.

"It's called 'happines', Chris. A rare emotion for DCI Hunt, but sometimes it just sweeps over him. Make the most of it."

She smiled at them both sweetly as Chris looked even more disconcerted, shuffling through a file of papers, before handing one of the typewritten sheets to Gene.

"It's a planning application. The council's bought the building next door to the factory, and the two on the other side of that. Next door's also owned by Derbyshire. He moved those tenants out weeks ago. Plan is to knock them down and build council flats. If the factory is unoccupied by the end of this month, then the council have agreed to buy that as well, but they won't wait beyond that date. They have to have the plans approved by then or they lose their funding."

Chris handed Gene two further sheets of paper with drawings of plans on them. "See, Guv? They've got two applications in. One including the factory and one without."

Ray stuck his head through the doorway. "Just been checking out Derbyshire's bank accounts. He's up to 'is eyeballs in debt. My guess is, 'e needed this deal to go through badly."

Gene studied the plans for a moment, while he thought it through. "Not an insurance job then, but still motivated by money. Derbyshire needs them out in order to sell both buildings to the council. He asked Mr. Rhaman to relocate, but he refuses, plus it'll cost Derbyshire money to move them, so he puts James Beattie into the factory as a caretaker and which then conveniently burns down just as the planning deadline approaches. Did he always mean to burn them out? Or did he get desperate?" He stood up.

"Ray, you take Chris and go and ask Derbyshire about his debts and the financial implications of these plans, and DI Drake and I will interview the eldest of the charming Beattie brothers."

An hour later and Gene was almost at the end of what little reserves of patience he possessed. Every question that he or Alex asked Beattie was met with "Don't know", "So what" or "No comment". Alex showed him the Scene of Crime photos of each of the nine victims, but all Beattie did was laugh.

"So? You think I care? Plenty more where they came from. More of them to come over here to take our jobs, and our houses, and our benefits. Pity the whole bloody lot didn't burn."

Alex thought Gene was going to explode at that point. His whole body tensed with fury and she knew that a year ago, he'd have kicked "seven shades of shit" out of Beattie, as Ray always so charmingly described it. She pressed her knee against his, warningly, underneath the desk and Gene took a series of deep breaths, standing up and walking to back of the room.

Alex stepped outside the door, counted to twenty, then returned to ask Gene to take a non-existent phone call. He lent against the wall of the corridor, swearing volubly, the volume of his curses increasing as he discovered that he'd run out of cigarettes. He grabbed the arm of a passing uniformed PC.

"You! Nip round the corner and get me some fags." He handed the startled looking officer a fiver. "I want the change back, mind."

"I'm supposed to be investigating a reported shop-lifter, Sir." stammered the unfortunate PC "The Sarge said….."

"I don't care what the Sarge said. You go and get me some bloody fags, or DI Drake here, will be investigating the fact that your head appears to have been rammed up your arse!"

"Yes Sir! I'll go now Sir!"

"You do that." Gene looked at Alex, and she saw the anger still burning in his eyes.

"What do we do now? That piece of scum in there isn't going to talk. Jesus, Alex, if you could have seen what I found in that room. Bastard doesn't even care."

"Lets try Danny. He's younger and far less cocky. We'll show him the photos straight away. Maybe they'll have more of an effect on him."

Danny Beattie refused to answer any questions, or look at the photos. "Why should I? They're just pictures" he said derisively, turning his head away.

Alex saw that he was disturbed by the images but was trying not to show it. "Yes, that's true Danny. These are just photos, but they're of real woman. Women who died as a result of the fire that I believe your brother started." He still kept his eyes turned away from the photos. Alex persisted. "Look at them Danny. Look at them. They died of burns and smoke inhalation. Imagine it, Danny, imagine being shut in a room, hiding there, and then realizing that there's no escape, that there's a fire outside the door…"

"Don't!" Danny Beattie pushed his chair further away from the desk containing the images. Gene said nothing, watching him, contempt clearly visable on his face

Alex's voice dropped to a soft, coaxing tone. "Think about it, Danny. You're in a room, and you're going to burn to death. You try and scream for help, but you can't breath because of the smoke. You're choking, and all the time the fire's getting closer. You try the window, but it's stuck. It won't open. You're clawing at it in panic. That's what they did, Danny. The women in those photographs. Their fingers were bloody and shredded from trying to force the window open."

Alex saw Gene close his eyes in pain and she felt a sharp pang of anguish at having to make him relive his discovery.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Danny voice rose in panic, his eyes darting frantically around them room, looking any where but at the photographs that Alex was holding up.

"Did they scream, Danny? Can you still hear them screaming?"

"Shut up! Shut up! You bitch! Shut up! It wasn't me!"

Danny Beattie hurled himself out of his chair towards Alex, hands raised to grab her neck. Gene's arm shot out and slammed him back down into his seat, cuffing his hands behind his back. Alex watched him closely. He was so near to breaking, but this pause in her questioning was giving him time to recover himself. She saw Beattie catch a glimpse of one of the photos and squeeze his eyes shut tightly. She knew what she had to do now.

"I'm just going to set something up" she told Gene, giving him a meaningful look. "Give me ten minutes."

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The mortuary was eerily silent, just as most civilians always imagined it to be. No pathologists, no morgue technicians to be seen, just Alex, Ray and a petrified Danny Beattie.

Alex knew that the staff had all gone off for a tea break at her request, but she was impressed that they'd turned of most of the lights before they'd left, making the room shadowy and very creepy. Of course the real Hammer House of Horror touch were the nine shrouded bodies laying on metal mortuary trolleys, arranged in a semi-circle in the centre of the room.

She smiled breezily at trembling form of Beattie, who was being held by Ray in a vice-like grip.

"OK Danny. You wouldn't look at the photographs, so I wondered if you might like to see the victims for real. Let's get "up close and personal" with them, shall we?"

Alex's tone was light, but her eyes were cold and hard. Beattie's eyes widened in terror as he realized what she was about to do.

"Who shall we start with? Ah yes, Tasleema. She had four children. Four children who will never seen their mother again."

Alex slowly drew down the sheet that covered the first body. Danny let out a low moan of horror.

"No! Don't!" He tried to turn his head away but Ray's hand grabbed his chin and held it still.

"Look at them" he hissed "Look at what _you_ did to them."

"Aysha. She was about to get married." Alex folded back the second sheet.

"Shirin. She was pregnant with her first child"

Danny's legs sagged, and Ray dragged him back up again by the collar.

"Nasrin. She was only fifteen you know. That's the same age as your sister, isn't it Danny?"

Alex threw him a coldly questioning smile. Beattie didn't reply, but the tears were running down his cheeks now.

Alex uncovered all nine bodies, continuing to tell him the names of, and facts about the women that lay there, still and cold. When she'd finished, Danny Beattie was a quivering, whimpering mess, who only remained standing as a result of Ray's hand twisted into his collar.

"Tell me who did it Danny. Tell me, or we stay down here until you do." Alex's voice was soft, but there was menace underneath the politeness and Beattie cracked.

"It was Jimmy! He started the fire! I just went along with him to frighten everyone. I didn't know he was going to torch the place! I didn't know! I didn't know!" His voice rose to a shriek and Alex nodded at Ray.

"I think that's more then enough to charge them both, don't you? We'll continue this conversation back upstairs."

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Once Danny had cracked and told them everything, including the names and addresses of the other two men involved, they were able to charge James Beattie. He had nothing to lose now his brother had confessed, and was very clear about the fact that it had all been Colin Derbyshire's idea to force Mr. Rahman to move out by the end of the month.

He'd been paid two thousand pounds to find some way of making them leave. When he'd failed to come up with anything after three months, Derbyshire had ordered him to "just make it happen. I don't care how, just get them out".

Danny had confirmed that Derbyshire had said this as Jimmy had taken him along to a meeting with him in the pub. "He wanted the money back from Jimmy if he didn't make it happen, but Jimmy had already spent it. So we had to think of something. I didn't know it was going to be a fire though. I thought we was just going to rob the place, smash stuff up a bit. He said if it looked like a robbery no-one would notice why we really did it. I swear to God, I didn't know he was going to burn it down."

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Alex came out of the interview room containing James Beattie, with a triumphant smile on her face. Gene was waiting outside for her with Ray.

"Did you really take Danny Beattie down to the mortuary or is Ray winding me up?"

Alex's grin grew wider. "Yep. He was ever so helpful. What's the phrase? …..'sang like a canary'."

Ray laughed "I'd 'ave used the phrase 'nearly shit 'imself'. I thought 'e was gonna faint when you uncovered the first body, Boss."

Gene gave them both a level look. "I don't think that taking a suspect to the mortuary and showing them nine dead bodies is entirely correct interview procedure, do you DI Drake?"

Alex shook her head "Nope. That's why I got Ray to help me instead of you. No one can say you approved it. You were at lunch."

Gene gave her a considering look. "Why, that's right, so I was. How very remiss of me to have a lunch hour." His eyes gleamed in delight. "I don't know. The things you lot get up to in my absence; you seem to play merry hell without my steadying influence over you all."

He fought not to grin, trying in vain to look stern. "You two can go back to CID and keep out of trouble, while Chris and I interview Colin Derbyshire. There's a packet of pink wafers on my desk. Help yourself"

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By two in the afternoon, it was all wrapped up. Derbyshire had admitted everything when presented with the evidence they'd collected against him. Gene returned to the office with his signed statement of confession.

"He's blaming Beattie for the fire, says he didn't know anything about it. Beattie's saying it was Derbyshire's suggestion. It's all on tape and written down. Up to the jury to decide now who's telling the truth." He dropped the files on his desk and shouted to Alex.

"Drake, get your coat we're going out! Ray, I want the reports of your little chats with our drug-dealing acquaintances on my desk by tonight"

Ray groaned. "Oh come on, Guv. It'll take ages. Most of what I wrote down was the ramblings of a bunch of spaced-out morons"

Gene grinned "Good. Then you're the ideal man to translate it for me, aren't you Raymondo. I'll be astonishingly nice and give you until tomorrow lunchtime. Drake and I have to attend DCI Marsh's disciplinary hearing tomorrow morning."

He grabbed his car keys and felt in his pockets "That bastard wooden-top never gave me back my sodding change!" Alex hurried after him as he marched up to the front desk.

"Viv! When that thieving little tosser I sent out for fags, gets back in, tell him I'll hold him upside down out the window by his ankles, if he doesn't give me my change."

Wordlessly Viv pushed a small pile of notes and coins across the counter to Gene, who pocketed them with pleased smile.

"My reputation really does precede me. Come on Alex, I hear bacon rolls calling me. I know I'm supposed to have had lunch, but somehow I still seem to be bloody starving."


	28. Chapter 28

**I loved writing this chapter – smut and shopping. Enjoy. (time 8.15 - have edited slightly. No stockings anymore, just shoes.)**

"Where are we going" asked Alex, hanging on tight to her polystyrene cup of take-away tea as Gene fishtailed round a sharp corner. Thankfully she'd had the foresight to ask for a lid at the sandwich bar when she'd bought it, together with two bacon rolls.

"Gene! You don't have drive as though you're in a car chase every time you get behind then wheel of this damn car!"

He laughed at her, his face lit up with boyish glee "That sounded ever so slightly like nagging to me, Alex. I know I don't _have_ to drive like this. I _want_ to drive like this! No point having a car this bloody fantastic and driving it like a milk float."

He slammed his hand down hard on the horn at a pedestrian who had the temerity to think about crossing the road in front of him, flicking an obscene gesture at the man for good measure.

"Gene! That was a priest!" exclaimed Alex.

"And?" He shrugged, screaming round another corner. "I'm not Catholic and I'm probably going to Hell already. Giving a priest the finger won't make much difference to my eternal soul."

Alex shook her head, laughing in disbelief. "You still haven't told me where we're going."

"Well, I started to, but you got all uptight about my driving. We're off to Bermondsey to see Fat Freddie."

"Fat Freddie? I thought he was a character from the Italian Job?"

"That's _Camp_ Freddie, you philistine." huffed Gene "Typical bloody female. You can remember all sorts of useless nonsense about the right shade of blue your blouse has to be to match your shoes, but nothing at all about decent films."

"OK. When it's on at Christmas, I promise I'll watch it and try and remember every bit of it, just for you. Who is _Fat_ Freddie then?"

"Fat Freddie is in the antiques and second-hand furniture trade. He's got a warehouse full of stuff. He keeps an ear out for any information of interest to us, and in return, we turn a blind eye to the fact that he flogs dodgy fake furniture to dozy foreign tourists, from his shops in Portobello and Islington."

He drew to a halt outside a faceless warehouse on an industrial estate full of similarly indistinguishable premises.

"So, why are we here?" Alex was still none the wiser.

Gene reached into the pocket of his coat and drew out a tightly rolled wad of notes. Alex raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Had a win yesterday. Long shot, 25 to 1. Wasn't sure if it would even last the distance, but the bugger came in first."

"Why bet on it if you knew it was such a risk?" Alex was as mystified as ever by Gene's method of choosing horses.

He grinned. "The name. I never pick a horse by its name but this one was too good to pass up."

"What was it called? Money for Nothing" teased Alex.

"Nope. Bollinger Girl." He handed her the wad of cash. "You wanted furniture, well there's the money. I'll talk to Freddie about who's up to no good, while you choose what you need for the house."

He went to get out of the car and stopped, realizing that Alex hadn't moved and was looking at him sternly.

He sighed. "OK. We'll _both_ talk to Freddie and then I'll come and chose the damn furniture with you."

Alex grinned wickedly "I don't know why you get so worried about this living together thing, Gene. You're learning ever so quickly."

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In the end, Gene's entire contribution, was to stretch himself out full-length, on all the sofas in the warehouse, testing each one for comfort. He lay down on one covered in swirly, orange draylon, the colour so bright that it made Alex's eyeballs wince in pain.

"This one?...Nope, too hard." He swung himself up again, and tried the one next to it

"Too lumpy"

Alex tried hard to ignore him.

"Too soft"

She gritted her teeth and concentrated on what Freddie was saying about getting any soft furnishings she chose dry-cleaned before he delivered them.

"Christ! That stinks! Don't choose that one Bols, it smells like something died in it."

"Too short"

God, give me strength, fumed Alex. I swear he's doing it on purpose.

"I've found one!" She made her way over to where he lay flat out, a satisfied smirk on his face. "This one's just right, Bolly. Very comfy"

Alex sighed. "Lovely Gene. I'm very pleased for you. However there's just the tiny matter of it being utterly, utterly vile." She leaned down and stage-whispered in his ear "Get up Goldilocks. Go and find another one"

"Well if you're gonna be fussy, I'll leave you to it. I'll be over here if you need me, eating my porridge" He huffed off, pulling his coat around him.

Alex ignored him, concentrating instead on choosing a dining table. Finding one that she liked, she wrote "Drake/Hunt" on one of the brown luggage labels that Freddie had given her, and tied it round one of the table legs.

She moved on slowly through the warehouse, ignoring the cold, choosing chairs, curtains, lamps, rugs, cushions, more china from cupboards stacked full of it, beautiful old embroidered linen sheets. Pretty soon she ran out of luggage labels and had to go ask for some more. Freddie's warehouse was an Aladdin's cave and Alex was in her element. She was amazed at how inexpensive things were, compared to the prices they'd fetch in 2008.

Near the china cupboards, she found an battered wooden trunk full of what appeared to be lengths of old material. Unfolding them out over the floor, she discovered two large flags, tattered and faded with time. She remembered an Sunday Supplement interiors page she'd seen once, a long before she'd arrived in the 80's, featuring someone who'd used flags. Paul Smith, that was it. Well if he can do it, so can I, mused Alex. I'm ahead of my time as usual.

Freddie sidled over to her. "Got them from an old Colonel's house. They're regimental colours. Over a hundred and fifty years old. Lord knows how he came by them. Those two are from one of the Foot Regiments that fought at Waterloo."

He sucked his teeth, pensively. "You want them? Shall I put them with all the other stuff?" he asked her, pulling his heavy coat round him and shivering. Fat Freddie had turned out to be anything but fat. He was as skinny as a whippet with big soulful brown eyes that only added to the kicked dog impression. Perfect for luring gullible tourists into think they were getting something priceless for next to nothing.

"Don't mess DI Drake about, Freddie" Gene had warned. "She's shacked up wi' me now and I won't be best pleased if you palm her off with junk."

Freddie had hurriedly assured Gene that he wouldn't do that, adding that Alex could chose whatever she wanted, and he was true to his word, showing her everything that she asked about, often disappearing off to find her a better example of a particular item. It would seem that nothing was too much trouble when you went shopping with the Gene Genie.

Alex looked at the Colours, one was a Union flag with the regimental arms worked across the middle of it, and the other one was white, boarded with gold, a huge lion rampant embroidered across it in red, crowned with a golden coronet. Perfect for the Manc Lion, she decided, with a smile of satisfaction.

"Yes please Freddie. I'll take the trunk as well. I can put the TV on it" She moved further on. "Are these patchwork quilts?" She began to sort through them "Oh, they're gorgeous! I'll have them too."

An hour and a half later, Alex was almost finished. She stood in front of the sofa that she'd finally chosen, an old fashioned Chesterfield design, high-backed with curving arms and beautifully carved wooden legs. The cream brocade covering it was worn and thin in some places, but that only added to its charm, decided Alex.

Detracting from it threadbare charms somewhat,was the snoring form that presently covered most it. It must be comfortable then, she mused if Gene had managed to fall asleep on it despite the freezing temperature of the warehouse and the shouts of Freddie's men, unloading a van at the entrance. She studied Gene for a moment and then with a mischievous grin, wrote "Drake" on another luggage label, tying it through the top button hole of his coat. He stirred grumpily, turning over on his side.

Freddie appeared beside her, calculator in hand, and grinned when he saw the label. "All done? You've got 'im well sorted then. Never thought I'd see the day, myself."

Alex rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I think I have. You can never tell with him though. He turns feral in an instant."

Gene opened one eye and glared at them. "I am awake, you know. I can hear what you're saying."

"Good. Then you'll know it's nearly time for you to get up and drive me back to the station."

Gene stood up and stretched to his full height, yawning hugely. His breath misted in the freezing air. He put Alex in mind of a big cat preparing to go on the prowl.

"Jesus, it's bloody parky in here, Freddie. I'm dying of hypothermia. You got a kettle in your office? I need a cuppa. Might have to put a drop of something stronger in it. Got any whisky?" Freddie gave him a resigned nod and Gene grinned triumphantly. "On second thoughts, forget the poxy tea."

Whilst Gene took himself off to raid his alcohol supply, Freddie totalled up the money, knocked off twenty percent "as it's for Mr Hunt" and arranged with Alex to have everything delivered to the house on Saturday, just before lunchtime.

By the time they left, Gene had finished off nearly half of Freddie's single malt. Alex drove and Gene sat in the passenger seat, his stockinged-feet resting on the hot-air vents to warm them up.

"I think I've got bloody frostbite, Bolly. If I lose my toes, it'll be your fault for taking so damn long. How much money you got left then?"

"Enough to buy everyone a round or two and something to eat at Luigi's." admitted Alex "I got rather carried away."

"You are joking?" spluttered Gene "How can you have spent that much money!"

Alex looked at him smugly. "It's your own fault. You shouldn't have gone to sleep. You know I'm a woman with very expensive tastes. Anyway I got twenty percent off."

"So you would've actually spent even more if Freddie hadn't given you a "copper's nark discount!" He glanced sideways at her sternly "I'm not very pleased with you at the moment Little Miss Spendthrift. You will make this up to me later,Bolly. I'll make certain of that." He gave her a wolfish grin, leaving her in no doubt as to how the evening would progress when he finally got her home.

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Gene and Alex left Luigi's early, for the second night running. As soon as they'd finished eating, he'd leaned over and whispered in her ear .

"Give it half an hour and then I'm taking you home. We can use the excuse that we've got the Hearing at the Yard tomorrow morning."

"We should really get an early night then, shouldn't we" agreed Alex, looking up at him through her lashes, bottom lip caught between her teeth. Underneath the table, her hand stroked up his thigh, her fingers tracing small, teasing circles. Gene stifled a small groan.

"Make that twenty minutes, Bolly. I can't wait longer than that."

In the end, Gene could only manage to spend fifteen minutes more in the company of his raucous CID team, before hustling Alex out of the door and into the car.

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When they reached the house, he led her downstairs into the darkened kitchen, switching on one small table lamp to softly illuminate the part of the room where the sofa was. He made her stand in front of it, just far enough away so that she couldn't reach out and touch him, and then sat down to face her.

"So" she asked huskily, "How do you want me to make up for being so extravagant. For displeasing you." His eyes roved across her body and he grinned at her lasciviously, pleased that she was playing along.

"I think that I want you to obey me, Bolly. You're going to do exactly what I say."

Alex felt herself tremble with desire. She spent her days at work giving orders and being in charge, doing her best never to let any of the men that she worked with glimpse even a hint of weakness and so she loved it when Gene did this to her. It was almost unbearably sexy to be told what to do, to be dominated by him.

"Strip" he ordered, softly "Take off all your clothes so I can see every inch of you."

Alex did as she was told, slowly unbuttoning her shirt, slipping off her skirt and removing her underwear

"Leave them" he told her, huskily as she went to take her high heels off.

She stood facing him quietly as she waited for his next instruction. His gaze raked her from head to foot, and Alex shivered under the heat of his intense scrutiny. He smiled to himself in satisfaction, before getting up and standing in front of her. His hands moved over her skin, possessively curving their way across her breasts and stomach, slipping down to cup the cheeks of her arse. His attitude was one of total ownership, his touch so self-assured. An image of Gene doing the same thing to the stripper in the Royal Oak flashed before her eyes and Alex found herself letting out a groan of desire at the thought of it, as his strong hands assessed her body, preparing her for whatever he told her to do.

His fingers stroked their way between her legs. She felt them brush against her just for an instant, releasing the hot wetness that pooled there, before he moved away. He picked up one of the wooden kitchen chairs and placed it just behind her.

"Sit down"

She obeyed and he reached forward and slowly spread her legs wide open, returning to sit of the sofa, leaning back against the cushions, totally in charge.

"Touch yourself Alex. I want to watch." His voice was low, rough with desire "Make yourself come"

Alex's breath caught in her throat. She didn't take her eyes from his as she raised her hand to her lips. Slowly she licked her middle finger and ran it down her body, lightly skimming her breasts, already swollen and taut with desire. She eased her fingers between her legs, parting her flesh, curling them inside herself, her thumb pushing down on her clit, gently at first, tiny fluttering strokes that made her tingle all over.

"God, you look so good" murmured Gene. He was watching her intently, his pupils hugely dilated. "Lick you fingers. Taste yourself."

Not stopping what she was doing, Alex dipped the fingers of her other hand into the juices that slicked the tops of her thighs. She lifted them back up to her mouth, sucking them slowly, tasting the sharp muskiness of her own body.

She heard Gene groan, the sound wrenched from his throat. "Christ, you look so fucking horny" He shifted in his seat, his arousal plain to see through the material of his suit trousers. "Keep going."

With her other hand she teased her breasts, taking her each of her nipples in turn between her thumb and finger, rolling and pinching them hard. "Ohhh" Alex breathed, arching her back as the sharp ache from her breasts was matched by the insistent pulse that beat between her legs.

She hitched herself forward on the seat, leaning back as far as the hard, high back of the chair would allow, angling her hips upwards so that Gene could see all of her. She moved her fingers harder now, pushing them further in, her thumb moving faster over her swollen clit. She could feel the hot oily wetness dripping down her thighs as she moved her fingers in and out. Her breath came in panting gasps. "Jesus……. Ohhh!" Alex drew her lower lip between her teeth, moaning and whimpering as an intense pleasure began to flood through her body. She was so near to coming, feeling herself beginning to pulse against her fingers.

She looked at Gene, he was still leaning back on the sofa, but he'd undone his trousers now and as he watched her, he stroked the length of his swollen cock with one hand, working himself slowly, his eyes heavy-lidded with desire.

Without warning he leaned forward, grabbing her round the waist and pulling her onto his lap. He slid into her easily, his hands on her hips, working her body over his, urging into her hard as she came, throwing her head back with a howl. "Oh God!... Gene… Oh! " Her whole body shook and she fell forward onto him, resting her head on his shoulder. He stopped moving and sat very still, his cock still buried deep within her.

"I've not finished with you yet , Alex" he growled, still completely in control, his hands around her waist once more, lifting her off him. He slid her onto the floor in front of him and she slumped there, still shaking and panting. Realising what he wanted her to do, she looked up at him, without saying a word, knowing that he loved this, loved the sight his "posh, mouthy tart" kneeling in front of him, silent and subjugated, waiting to do his bidding.

"Suck me" he ordered "All of me. Make me come. I want you to swallow every last drop"

His eyes blazed with lust and his breathing was ragged as Alex did she was told, reaching underneath him and curling her hand around his balls, feeling them hot and heavy in the palm of her hand, squeezing them gently as she lowered her mouth onto him. She eased him into her mouth slowly, flicking her tongue over the head of his shaft, curling it down the length of him.

Gene shifted his body, swinging one leg over her shoulder, holding her tightly in place. His hand reached out to tangle in her hair, guiding her hot mouth up and down the length of him, as she sucked him, tasting their combined juices, taking him as deep into her mouth as she could, her lips stretched around his straining flesh. Her fingers stroked the soft skin behind his balls, teasing him lightly. She moaned in delight as she felt him shudder, his fingers tightening in her hair, his hips thrusting up, pushing into her mouth.

"Christ!" she heard him gasp, harshly "Fucking hell." His cock swelled and jerked as he came hard in her mouth. Alex sucked him as he pulsed and spilled over her tongue, swallowing each hot thrust, groaning with pleasure, the aftershocks of her own orgasm still rippling faintly through her.

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Alex laid her head on his thigh, still kneeling on the floor between his legs. Gene's hand stroked her hair gently, she could feel his fingers trembling as he recovered. He fought to regain his breath, struggling to speak. "Alex…… Alex?" he leaned down to kiss her neck and the line of her jaw. "Alex. I left my cigarettes upstairs in my coat pocket. Go and get them."

Alex shook her head "No. Can't move. My legs won't work." She reached up and tugged down the soft woollen throw from the back of the sofa and wrapped it round her. "Need to stay here for a bit."

"You promised you'd do what I said" Gene's tone was wheedling "Go and get them, Bolly. I need a smoke"

"I'm not playing any more, Gene" she laughed. "You want them, you get them."

He pulled her up beside him on the sofa, tucking the throw round her. "Bugger. I knew it was too good to last. Worth a try though."


	29. Chapter 29

She heard the growl start from the depths of his chest as she leaned down to adjust a small wrinkle in her stockings.

"Bloody hell, Alex. Do you know how peachy your arse looks from that angle?"

"No. It's not supposed to look peachy, I'm trying to look sober and respectable for the Disciplinary Panel." She frowned slightly "When I bought it, the shop assistant agreed with me that it looked very smart."

She smoothed the skirt of her new black Italian wool suit. It hadn't been cheap but Alex had realized that it was beautifully cut and therefore worth every penny. The jacket reminded her of a Victorian riding habit; buttoned-up tightly, nipped-in at the waist and flared out to skim across the very top of her hips. The pencil skirt was equally as tight and ended about two inches above her knee. When she sat down it did, admittedly, rise a little higher, but she'd just have to be careful not cross her legs. Underneath the jacket she wore a plain cream silk camisole.

"Course she did. She wanted you to spend a fortune on the damn thing! You look sober and respectable, and filthy all at the same time" Gene told her "Front view –Headmistress, back view – Hooker. You'll have to back out of the room or the Chief Super'll hyperventilate" He walked around her slowly, assessing her. "Mind you, that silky thing underneath your jacket's pretty sexy too. Maybe you should sit in another room and shout your answers to them."

"Maybe I should go and change" she worried, not wanting to make the wrong impression.

"Don't you bloody dare" he said firmly. "The Scotland Yard boys are gonna be sick with envy when they see you looking like that!" He laughed in delight "They already think I'm the jammiest bastard in the Met 'cos you went out wi' me. I'm going to be legendary now we're living together!"

"I'm so pleased that I can be a part of your silly playground games, Gene. Don't you think you're being ever-so slightly childish?"

"Absolutely. What you forget Bolly, is that underneath it all, every one of us blokes still has a mental age of about fifteen."

Alex gave her hair a final brush, smoothing out the curls as best she could, and twisted it up into a knot at the back of her head. Concentrating on getting the hair grips in the right place, she nevertheless saw Gene's grin deepen.

"Porn star Headmistress now" he laughed "you look like you're about to shake your hair out and shag the Head Boy."

Alex considered Gene through narrowed eyes; perfectly tailored black suit, black shirt and a dark grey tie. He looked smoothly dangerous and very self-assured.

"And you look like you're about to beat the Head Boy senseless for even considering it. That suit is gorgeous on you, but you really do look very menacing in black." She ran her gaze down the length of his body. "I like it. Bad boys are always so much more fun"

Gene looked at his watch, cursing, and shaking his wrist in frustration "Bloody thing! It keeps stopping. I've had the battery changed and it's still knackered. We should get a move on. You know what the poxy Tube's like at this time of the morning."

Alex nodded "Nearly ready. Just do this up for me would you?" She held out the heart pendant. He took it from her, placing it gently round her neck, his fingers taking ages to work out the tiny clasp. "There you go" he told her, dropping a kiss on the back of her neck. Alex turned and found his lips with hers, kissing him slowly and deeply, breathing in the familiar, reassuring scent of him, calming her nerves.

"Right lets go and see what they have in store for Eddie Marsh."

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Alex paused to collect her thoughts, letting out a shaky breath, before taking a seat in the small waiting area. Behind the closed door of the inner office, the Disciplinary Panel was delivering its verdict to DCI Marsh. They'd asked her to wait until it was over, just in case they needed to call her in again to confirm certain aspects of her statement.

The panel had been very courteous and scrupulously professional, but Alex had still hated the fact that she'd been giving evidence against a fellow officer. Gene had been utterly unsympathetic to Marsh's fate. "His actions nearly got you killed Alex. Don't hold anything back from them. The bastard needs to be taught a lesson." She'd been totally truthful, leaving nothing out, not even the fact that Marsh had taken cocaine.

It would seem that they didn't need her, as after five minutes the office door flew open and DCI Marsh walked out. The expression on his face was neutral, almost nonchalant but Alex saw the cold fury in his eyes as he looked at her. "Bitch" he hissed as he walked past. He stopped at the door, looking through the internal glass partition to the corridor beyond where Gene and Tom were waiting, having already given evidence. Holding Alex's gaze challengingly, he raised his hand, two fingers pointing out as if they were a gun. He mimed taking a shot at the two men, all the while, smiling chillingly at Alex. "Warned," he whispered as he left the room.

She watched him go "Arrogant bastard" she raged, muttering under her breath in case any of the Panel heard her. "You deserve all you get."

As she picked her coat, ready to go and join them , she studied Gene and Tom carefully, amused by the contrast between them as they waited, both leaning against the wall. Gene was totally still, hands in his pockets, long legs planted slightly apart, feet firmly on the floor. Lost in thought, he was a dark, brooding presence in his black suit, seemingly immovable as granite.

The lines on his face showed clearly in the bright winter sunlight streaming through the window, which in turn only served to emphasise Tom's appearance of youth, his face still boyish and unlined at thirty-seven. In his pale grey suit, sky-blue shirt, and yellowy-gold tie, Fletcher was all energy and movement. He tapped his feet as he leaned, jingling the loose change in his pockets. His fingers fiddled with a rubber band that he'd picked up from somewhere, snapping it over and over again, until he caught his flesh "Ow! Bugger! That hurt!"

Gene didn't move, just sighed deeply. "Don't you ever stop" he growled tetchily "You're worse than a bloody kid. How the hell do you manage to do surveillance? You must drive everyone insane."

Tom laughed "Yep, I do. They make me swap over with someone every hour. They can't stand it any longer than that." He looked up as Alex walked towards them , laughing at his words.

"Lexi! How did it go? You look ever so pale. Nice suit by the way. Very chic." He sprang forward to take her hand, before Gene could react. "I think we all need some lunch, don't you? Gene, shall we buy this gorgeous girl lunch?"

Alex smiled at Tom's words, but her eyes were fixed on Gene. She saw his face darken momentarily at Tom's shortening of her name, and again his "gorgeous girl" reference. She knew that he still wasn't entirely sure about the ways things stood between her and Tom. He looked up and met Alex's eyes, giving her a wry smile. She smiled back at him reassuringly and he nodded, holding open the door for Alex.

"Lunch? Good idea Fletcher. I'm starving. She doesn't feed me properly you know."

"That's a wicked lie, and just for that, you can get the bill."

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They took a black cab to a pub on High Holborn, near to the tube station so that Tom could get the Piccadilly Line back to King's Cross, whilst Alex and Gene continued on the Central Line into the City. Gene had moaned like mad at having to take the tube, but Alex had been insistent. "It's quicker than driving and we'll never find a place to park near the Yard."

He's grumbled and huffed but had eventually seen sense. Now he sat eating his steak and kidney pie and chips in silence, listening to Alex and Tom discussing Princess Diana. Tom was of the opinion that she wasn't as shy and retiring as she made out.

"You mark my words, when that girl comes out of her shell, we'll see a whole different side to her. I think the Royal Family are going to be in for a shock."

Alex agreed with him, non-committal. "It'll certainly be an interesting marriage," she said, moving the conversation onto Diana's fashion sense, a subject where she was less likely to reveal too much.

"God, you sound like a couple of old gossips" Gene snapped. "If I didn't know any better, I'd never have you two down as coppers. More like bloody till girls. I'm sure Presto will have vacancies if ridding the world of criminal scum becomes all too much for you."

Alex watched as Tom shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd got carried away with the conversation and forgotten himself. Alex felt a pang of sadness that he always had to be on his guard, watching what he said and how he behaved.

"OK. I'll stop being a shop girl. The uniforms at Presto are bloody awful anyway." He laughed, covering up his discomfort. If Alex hadn't been watching him closely, she'd never have seen it to begin with. "What shall we talk about instead? How the mighty Arsenal beat the opposition hands down last Saturday? That despite your very vocal protestations that "they're a Southern pansy team who kick a ball like a bunch of bloody girls," you were jumping about and down, shouting like a lunatic along with the rest of us when they scored that last goal."

Tom turned to Alex and winked "I know what to get him for Christmas now. An Arsenal scarf" He sat back in his seat, waiting for Gene to try and deny what he'd just been accused of. To both Alex and Tom's surprise, he didn't.

"It was a good match" he agreed "I just got carried away with, that's all. I am NOT going to become a bloody Gooner, and I'd sooner let Chris drive my car for a week before I wore an Arsenal scarf. I'll still take up your offer of that ticket for the Boxing Day game, though." He took a large sip of his pint and attacked his plate again.

"So you'll be in London for Christmas, then?" asked Tom. "Are you spending it with ancient relatives or will you be tucked up together, all cozy, in that gorgeous little house of yours?"

Alex looked rueful. "We'll be there for Christmas, but I'm not sure for how long after that it'll continue to be ours. I got a letter from the agents this morning. The landlord is selling and depending on who buys it, they may not renew my lease. They can give me a month's notice to quit at time."

Gene stopped eating abruptly and looked at her in consternation. "You never told me about this."

"Well I only got the letter this morning and we had other things on our mind."

Tom snorted "I'm not even going to think about what they were."

Alex looked at him levelly "They were catching the tube and getting to the Hearing on time, you filthy-minded git."

Gene chuckled at Tom's affronted expression "You were nearly right though, Fletcher. Bolly's arse in that skirt nearly made me forget about anything else."

"What are you doing for Christmas, Tom?" Alex fended off Gene's wandering hand that was edging its way determinedly up her thigh. "You going to spend it with your family?"

"Absolutely not. My Father and I haven't spoken for years. We don't see eye to eye about my lifestyle, so Christmas with the parents isn't really an option."

Gene glanced at Tom sympathetically. "Your old man doesn't agree with you being a copper? Mine was like that. Not spending Christmas on your own though, are you? What abut the gorgeous blonde that Alex told me about?"

Tom looked startled for an instant, then smiled and shook his head wistfully. "No go on that front I'm afraid. The very gorgeous and still totally unobtainable blond will be spending Christmas with their much-loved other half." He grinned, "I'm not short of company at night, if you catch my meaning, but there's no one special enough to spend Christmas with."

He sighed and then reached across the table to pinch some of Alex's chips from her plate. She glared at him with mock severity and made to jab his hand with her fork. "Tom Fletcher, you've eaten nearly half of my bloody lunch!

Gene smiled, "He's helping you to keep your arse looking peachy, Bols. Saving you from the temptation of scoffing the whole portion yourself."

"Thanks Gene. I'm so glad you're concerned about my arse, but I'm still hungry" She reached over to his plate and speared a forkful of chips from his plate.

"Oi! Leave off!" He moved his plate out of Alex's reach.

His expression became serious. "Tom, have you talked to any of your informants about the lines of supply, now Waltham's out the picture?"

Tom nodded, struggling to speak through a mouthful of Alex's chips. "Yep. Spoke to three on Monday. Say its all fine. No problems." He paused, thoughtfully. "That's not right isn't? Your patch the same then?"

Gene narrowed his eyes "Too bloody right it is. I'm waiting for the war to start up as everyone rushes to fill Waltham's shoes, but so far nothing. I've put Ray onto it. I'll let you know what he came up with and then we'll start doing some real digging. I want to know what's going on."


	30. Chapter 30

**No plot, no smut in this one. Just fluff with Alex trying to show Gene how much she loves him and a little more background on Gene.**

Alex hung the last of Gene's shirts in the wardrobe next to his suits, before shutting the door and reaching down to pick up the black bags that were scattered across the bedroom floor. Trust a man to just shove his clothes into dustbin liners when he moved house, and not even fold them up, she huffed.

Gene had dumped them there earlier, when he'd unloaded the boxes full of his stuff from his car, before going to get ready to go to the football with Tom and Ray. He'd been too drunk to do it last night and too intent on removing Alex's clothes to bother about his own, shoved unceremoniously into bags along with his few possessions from Luigi's flat. He'd packed the boxes yesterday afternoon, disappearing from the station for a couple of hours. He hadn't told Alex where he was going and it had been Ray who'd informed her that he'd gone to his house to pack his belongs.

"House?" she'd queried. "I thought he was living at Luigi's."

Ray had shrugged. "Yep, 'e was. Still kept his house though. Don't ask me why" he said hurriedly, seeing Alex's face "The Guv doesn't tell me anything. All I know is, 'e still 'as the house in Bethnal Green. He just never went back to it after you and 'im had that bust-up for a few weeks. Stayed at Luigi's instead."

Resolving to ask Gene about it when he returned from football, Alex took a satisfied look around the bedroom. All his clothes were now neatly put away in the wardrobe or folded into the large, old pine chest by the door. On top of it, Gene had left a handful of loose change, a pair of cuff links and a tie, coiled loosely into a spiral. On his side of the bed, his alarm clock stood on the bedside table, alongside a empty mug still there from earlier that morning when Alex had brought them both tea in bed. She'd only managed to drink half of hers before Gene had slid back under the covers, his tongue doing wickedly delicious things to her body, making her abandon the tea before she spilt it all over them both.

She smiled happily, loving all the visible reminders that Gene was really back here with her, and that it was no longer just "her" house, but "theirs." The doorbell shrilled, making her jump and, glancing out of the bedroom window, she saw Tom on the front step, whilst Ray waited in his car. Behind him, a removal lorry was pulling up at the curb. Alex heard Gene open the door to Tom, and then she heard him shouting up at her.

"Alex! Furniture's here!"

She hurried down to the hall and Tom waved at her from the doorway.

"Morning Lexi. You planning on playing house?" he asked, inclining his head towards the lorry.

"Yes. I've got lots and lots of stuff to play with. Gene was quite delighted about my spending spree."

Gene was standing with his coat half on. "Do you want me to stay and help you?" he asked, reluctantly, obviously not wanting to, but feeling he had to.

"No" laughed Alex "Freddie's men are going to help. I want to you out of the way for the whole afternoon. I'll see you later."

He grinned with relief and kissed her hard, nipping at her lower lip. "You are gorgeous" he growled, and he was gone, striding down the steps to the car after Tom. She heard his voice drifting back into the hall "No…. you get in the back, Fletcher. My DS is driving, so I'm in the front."

Alex smiled at the image of them bickering like small boys, before turning her attention to the two removal men, who were waiting patiently on the front steps, each carrying a tea-chest. "China?" asked one, and was directed downstairs to the kitchen. "Curtains and cushions?" asked the other. "Sitting room" replied Alex, and opened the door for him.

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The sitting room was two rooms knocked into one, stretching the length of the entire ground floor, as the kitchen did on the basement level. There was a tall sash window overlooking the street, and at the back, a pair of French Windows, mirroring those in the kitchen below. They opened out onto a small wrought-iron balcony, which was covered in wisteria and white roses in the summer.

As a result of it being two combined rooms, there were two fireplaces, both in working order now that the chimneys had been thoroughly swept the previous day. Old Victorian radiators stood at the side of each of the windows, taking the winter chill off the room nicely. The walls and ceiling were painted a deep, rich red, making it the only room in the house that wasn't painted a cream colour. It gave it a warm, closed-in atmosphere and had given Alex the idea of just how to furnish it.

It was important to her that she got this room right, that she showed Gene just how much he meant to her, how much she wanted him in her life. She knew that he was still very insecure about her feelings for him and that he still couldn't quite believe that a "posh bird" like her would want to be with someone like him. She needed to provide him with the reassurance that they had a shared future together. Alex had't forgotten what Shaz had told her about Gene calling her house "his own private piece of heaven" and had decided that actions spoke louder than words in this case.

Freddie's men had moved everything to where she wanted it, even helping her hang the heavy, red velvet curtains and fix the two gilt-framed mirrors above the fireplaces. When they left Alex worked on, hair dragged back into a pony tail, concentrating on having the room ready for when Gene arrived home. She turned the radio up loudly as she worked and sang along happily.

With all the furniture in place, she turned her attention to the cardboard boxes. She'd checked with Gene if was all right to unpack them, asking hesitantly, in case he's wanted to do it himself. "Course you can. You go ahead. There's nothing in them that you can't see. Not much in them at all, to be honest, mostly just records."

When Gene returned home at six, she was putting the china away in the kitchen cupboards, having washed it and left it to drain earlier. None of it matched, but all of it was floral patterned. New curtains were hanging at the windows, cream linen printed with faded pink roses. The sofa had new cushions on it too, embroidered, flowery ones. Alex saw him frown slightly.

"It's gone a bit girly in here, hasn't Bolly?" he asked carefully, hanging his coat on the newel post of the stairs.

Alex smiled as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled his face into her neck, making her gasp at the coldness of his skin. He smelt of beer, cigars, and cold frosty evenings, and she leaned back into his embrace in delight.

"The bedrooms bad enough, what wi' all that embroidery nonsense on the pillows. I woke up with the imprint of it on my bloody face this morning."

"I admit that it is a little flowery in here now, but come and see the sitting room" Eyes shinning with excitement, Alex led him back upstairs and stood back as he opened the door and stepped into the room. He stood still and looked silently around him, taking in every detail. The whole room now had the look and feel a traditional Gentleman's Club, a warm, comfortable place to relax and escape from the world. She'd lit both of the fires, and they burned brightly, filling the space with life and warmth.

From the ceiling hung two crystal chandeliers that Freddie had told her originally came from an old Music Hall in Hackney. They had looked huge in the warehouse and Alex had been worried she'd overdone things a little, but Freddie had assured her that big rooms with high ceilings needed grand lighting, and now they were in place she knew that he'd been right.

On the left by the door, was the old sideboard. Now it held Gene's turntable and speakers, together with a silver tray containing two bottles of whisky and several glasses.

On the wall above she'd hung the flag with the red lion rampant on it. An Indian rug in a dark red pattern was spread across the floor and in the middle of the room were a round dark wood dinning table and four chairs. In front of the largest chair, a carver with curving arms and a high back, Alex had placed a box of cigars and a new deck of cards. In the alcoves, either side of the fireplace were bookcases with high scrolled tops, and she'd filled some of shelves with Gene's books and records.

At the other end of the room, near the French windows, arranged around the fire, were the cream Chesterfield sofa and two high-backed wing chairs, both covered in soft battered leather. A television and video rested on the old wooden trunk that had contained the flags, and another Indian rug lay across the floor. On the wall behind the sofa hung the second flag, its colour deepened by the firelight.

On the mantelpiece stood a single photo frame, and an old wooden box. Alex saw Gene notice them, but he said nothing. Still silent, he moved to sit at the table, opening the pack of cards and shuffling through them, concentrating fiercely.

"Do you like it?" she asked him eventually, unnerved by his silence. "I thought that this could be your room, your space to have the lads round to." He still said nothing, and she ploughed on, praying that she hadn't done the wrong thing. She just wanted to make it a home for him, really his home as well as hers "You can play cards, listen to you music, get drunk. If you want to that is, it's your house too now…" she stopped, watching him anxiously. "I wanted to do this for you... to show you how much I ...love you" Alex stumbled over the last words. Christ, she thought. If I find it difficult to say, how bloody hard must it be for him.

He looked up at her then, not quiet able to meet her gaze. "It's great, Alex" he told her, gruffly."It's more than great, it's..." he stopped, clearly battling to get the words out. He sighed in frustration and gave up the struggle. "Thank you." he told her, his eyes shining brightly. Alex smiled shyly back at him. Thank you was more than enough praise coming from him.

He looked back down at the cards, placing them back on the table carefully and moved into the other part of the room, taking down the photo frame.

"What's this doing here?" His voice was hard, with an edge to it that made Alex's heart ache. She's debated whether or not to put the photograph out on view, guessing that it would cause this reaction.

She went to stand next to him, studying the photograph. It had been taken at a Christmas party; the tinsel-covered tree was clearly visible behind the three of them. Gene was in the middle of the shot, laughing, his face untroubled and joyful. His arms were wrapped around the shoulders of Annie Cartwright on one side and Sam Tyler on the other. They were laughing too, their arms stretched out behind Gene's back, their free hands holding up a glass each to toast the unseen photographer.

"This was taken the Christmas before Sam died." he told her quietly "They were holding hands round my back. They were always holding hands, even after seven years. Used to drive me bloody mad." He cleared his throat noisily. "It shouldn't be out." he declared, looking around the room, desperately searching for somewhere to hide his memories. Alex put a hand on his arm.

"Don't put it away. Please, Gene. It should be out where you can see it and remember." He went to speak but Alex shook her head and put a finger on his lips.

"I know that you want to hide this away because it hurts too much. Rosalind Ward told me that we have to forget in order to survive, and that's true, but at some point, it's also OK to start remembering again."

Gene smiled sadly, his eyes never leaving the trio of laughing faces, and he let go a deep, ragged breath. "I still think it's all bloody psycho babble, but OK. You win. The picture stays."

He put the photo frame back and took down the wooden box. It was made from a type of dark wood, rosewood, Alex had guessed, when she'd first found it. There were small marquetry flowers inlaid on the lid. It wasn't expensive looking, nor was it beautifully made, but it had clearly been treasured and loved.

"This was Mam's" He brushed a finger across the lid. "She kept it on our mantelpiece too, but Dad threatened to smash it once when he was angry with her. She hid it after that, under her wardrobe, never took it out when he was around. I found it there after she died. Even when the bastard was long gone, she was still afraid to take it out."

He opened the lid slowly, taking out a few old photographs. He smiled sadly as he looked at them. Alex hadn't looked inside when she'd found it earlier, reasoning that if he wanted her to see what was in there, he'd show her at some point. Gene handed them to her one by one.

"That's me an' Stu" he said. Alex saw two small boys in shirts and shorts, their hair slicked down neatly with water, standing serious and straight-backed for the camera.

"That's us wi' Mam." The same two boys, older now, maybe twelve and ten, either side of a worn out-looking young woman, her face worried and hesitant even as she smiled. Even at that age, Alex could see the fierce, self-confidence in Gene. He stood tall, chin raised, arrogantly glaring at the camera, his hand resting tightly on his mother's shoulder. His younger brother was a paler image of him, his face weaker, and his smile as anxious as that of his mother.

"That's their wedding day. Looks happy, doesn't she? That didn't last." This one was of a couple standing self-consciously outside a red-brick terraced house, the bride in an ill-fitting 1930's wedding dress and veil, a small bouquet of roses and ferns clutched in front of her. She was pretty, beautiful even, fine boned and dark-haired with big, long-lashed eyes and a wide, generous smile. Gene's smile. The man who stood by her side was handsome, and Alex could instantly see his resemblance to Gene, but his eyes were hard, the twist of his mouth cruel and vicious.

"Why on earth did she marry him Gene?" Alex asked. "Did she not know what he was like, or did love blind her?" Gene's father was undoubtedly good looking, but she could see the danger in him; even on his wedding day he was unsmiling and grim.

Gene snorted, shaking his head sadly "Weren't love. It was lust. My Gran warned her about having anything to do wi' my dad. Everyone knew he was a bastard, but, he had a handsome face, and he could charm the birds from the trees, and the knickers off a nun when he wanted too. She fell for it and got pregnant. Her dad went mad when he found out; he worked on the railways with my dad. Said he'd get him dismissed if he didn't marry her. My mam wasn't the usual sort of girl he messed around with, this time he'd gone and got a nice, respectable girl up the duff. My dad couldn't wriggle out of it, everyone knew he was the father. "

Alex saw his face twist in pain "Mam was told she had to get married or she couldn't keep the baby. Result was she spent the rest of her life paying for her mistake."

He sighed heavily. "I didn't know any of this when I was younger. My Auntie Alice told me when I was twelve. I'd been in trouble with the Police again and Mam went mad, told me I was turning out just like my dad. Only time she ever hit me." His eyes were dark with pain, lost in the past. "Alice told me that I'd let Mam down once too often. She said I should work hard and try to make something of myself, make my Mam proud of me, cause I'd ruined her life. That the only reason she'd married my dad was so she could keep me, and I was paying her back by becoming a worthless, thieving, little troublemaker."

He laughed bitterly, handing her the last photograph. "Lot of guilt to lay on a twelve year old boy, but it worked. That's Mam and me when I became a copper." Gene shook his head, half embarrassed. "How bloody gormless did I look." Alex saw him, fresh-faced and fiercely proud in his new uniform. His mother stood next to him, her face still beautiful but drawn, the skin stretched over her cheekbones, lines of worry and hardship etched into her expression.

She handed the photographs back to him and he returned them carefully to the box, placing it back where Alex had put it. She said nothing, knowing he was uncomfortable talking about his past. He looked as he had that day at the zoo, hunched over and defensive. Alex leaned over and kissed his cheek, gently. He squeezed her hand in acknowledgement, giving her brief smile, before wandering over to the bookcase and flicking slowly through the records that she'd put on the bottom shelves.

"I never knew you had such diverse taste in music." Alex remarked, more to change the mood than anything else. When she'd unpacked the boxes, she'd been surprised that he'd had so many albums.

Gene laughed. "I don't really. Most of these are Sam's. Annie gave them to me after he died. She said she'd never play them again, too many memories, so would I like them. Some of the stuff he bought was OK. Some of it wasn't my taste at all, but I've grown to like it. Sam was really into his music. He seemed to have a sixth sense for which band was going to be the next big thing. He never once got it wrong."

Alex raised her eyebrows ironically, behind Gene's back. "Really" she said "Clever Sam."

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Alex lay on the sofa, sleepily, snuggled into the crook of Gene's arm, her head resting on his chest. They'd just finished watching a video, Gene laughing declaring that he was "proper posh" now he lived in a house with two televisions. He'd been delighted at Alex's choice of film, having teased her about choosing something girly and romantic. Instead she'd held up a copy of "High Plains Drifter" and had been gratified to see the look of surprise on his face. "Clint Eastwood, Bols? I didn't know you liked him."

"It's one of my favorites, believe it or not. It's a classic"

Gene frowned "It was only made a few years ago. How can it be a classic already?"

"All Clint Eastwood westerns are classics" she'd told him firmly, switching on the TV.

"Suppose so. You've got good taste in films, I'll give you that. I really thought you'd pick something slushy."

"I might next time" she warned him, "But if I do, no complaining."

Now she lay there peacefully, listening to him breathe, and the small, sounds of the fire, settled into glowing embers by now.

"Gene?" She wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, his breathing was so slow and relaxed.

"Mmmm?" Alex loved the rumbling sound that emanated from his chest as he answered her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, but don't expect an answer if it's what's the square root of 253. I'm crap at maths." She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.

She slapped his chest, lightly. "It's not maths. It's more social science." she joked. "Why did you move into Luigi's flat when you left me? Why not just go back to your house?"

It was a long time before he answered her. He stroked her arm, reflectively, and she saw him start to speak then stop, as he tried to sort out what he wanted to say. When he did speak, his words were slow and hesitant as though he had only just worked out the answer himself.

"I rented the house when I first moved here. I took it because it was convenient for work, furnished, no hassle to sort out. It was just a place to sleep. I don't think I ever had a proper meal there. Sometimes I didn't even go to bed, just slept on the sofa in front of the TV. I hated it. Always have done. That's why I spent all my time drinking at Luigi's. When I left you, last place on earth I wanted to go was back to that bloody house. I felt like a failure. I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid, that I'd messed it all up between you and me and I was on my own again. So I asked Luigi if I could use his flat."

He shifted slightly and turned over towards her, holding her captive with his mesmerising, silver blue gaze. "I dropped the keys in at the letting agents yesterday. No going back now, Bolly." he told her, his face solemn, his arms holding her tightly "You and me. Unbreakable."

Alex nodded, equally serious. "Unbreakable" she whispered back.


	31. Chapter 31

**This chapter is possibly the longest I've ever written, but I had so much I wanted to write and I couldn't split it up. **

**How does the song go? Oh yes – "So here it is, Merry Christmas, Everybody's having fun."**

"'Ad enough already, love?" The taxi driver glanced at Alex in his rear-view mirror as she sat back in the seat with a relieved sigh. As she'd pulled the cab door closed, she could still hear the music, blasting up the steps from Luigi's, mingled with the shouts and laughter of everyone she'd left drinking there. It was a similar scene in all the other bars and pubs near the station. Christmas Eve, and everyone was celebrating.

"You could say that" Alex agreed. "It's all starting to get a bit messy, so I left them to it."

The cab driver laughed. "Best thing you could have done love. Messy don't even cover it" he said, indicating as a figure drunkenly stumbled up the steps and threw up lavishly into the gutter.

Alex slid open the window "Jesus, Chris, you never drank all the shots the Guv lined up for you, did you?"

Chris was in no position to answer, bending over and throwing up again. Alex winced, "Merry Christmas" she called to him as the taxi pulled away.

They'd all been in Luigi's since four that afternoon. Seemingly the whole station had crammed themselves into the bar and had proceeded to drink, shout, sing, dance and snog each other randomly – all whilst good-naturedly abusing poor Luigi. Even Gene had danced, picking Alex up and waltzing her round the floor to of one of Luigi's Italian love songs, before Chris had hijacked the stereo. "I never knew you could dance" she'd told him breathlessly as he held her close to him, moving her effortlessly round the floor.

He'd grinned down at her, not in the slightest bit embarrassed that everyone had stopped dancing and was watching the extraordinary sight of the Guv having fun.

"Course I can. How do you think I pulled the birds in my mis-spent youth? Women love a man who can dance. Means they're good at other things too…" He'd swung her round, dipping her backwards in his arms, so that she shrieked and clutched onto him. Then the music had changed, the dance floor had filled up and he'd let her go, turning to dance with Shaz and Janet. Alex had found herself with Ray and DC Ellis, both of them grinning like lunatics, and each wearing a Santa hat.

An hour later and it'd been too hot for Alex to carry on dancing. She'd made her way over to the CID table, clutching drinks for herself and Ray. He'd nodded his thanks, lighting up yet another cigarette, and looked over towards the crowd of dancers.

"Look at 'im" he'd said to her "He's not danced like that since Manchester."

Gene had been in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the secretaries, dancing the dance of a truly drunk and uninhibited man, arms above his head, half-empty pint in one hand, cigar in the other. Shirt half undone to combat the heat, eyes half-closed, he was loving every single minute of it. Alex had laughed, turning back to Ray as he'd nudged her on the arm. He'd not been entirely sober himself and she'd seen him look serious as he started to speak, slurring out the words.

"I hated you when you first joined our team, Boss. Saw the way the Guv looked at you. Knew you'd be trouble for 'im" He'd stared at her earnestly. "Sorry 'bout that. Really am." Ray had hiccuped drunkenly "You're all right now, though. One of the lads,….well, not exactly…. Don' mean you look like a bloke," he'd assured her hurriedly. Alex had hidden her smile in her hand. "You're different, nicer. Not such a snotty cow. So's he. Not so angry." He'd waved an arm towards Gene. "You're both happy. In love. 's good. I'm glad for you."

She'd said nothing in reply, just patted him on the arm and then surprised him by leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Oi! I saw that Bolly!" Gene's shout had risen above the music. "You're spoken for, and so's Ray!" He'd grinned down at Angela, who was dancing near him, and she'd blushed, and made her way to bar, giggling with Denise.

She'd decided to go home when the drinking games had started. Gene was, as usual, the instigator, safe in the knowledge that he could drink everyone else under the table. He'd made Luigi line up a double shot of every liqueur that he had, and being Italian, there were many of them. Gene's challenge to the team had been to drink them all, one after the other, as quickly as possible. He'd gone first, his eyes burning bright with the joy of letting lose and kicking back like he used to. He'd banged the last glass down in triumph, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, laughing joyfully. "Done!" he'd roared in drunken triumph "Who's next!"

Alex had judged that enough was enough and gone to find her coat. She walked a fine line days between a member of the CID team and "the Guv's Missus", and was careful to give "the lads" enough time on their own with their beloved Governor, without her around, cramping their style. Not that they didn't include her, and she was happy to be a part of it all, but there came a point some evenings, where she left them to it and went home to wait for Gene. He usually followed an hour later. He understood as well as she did the importance of drinking with the lads, but since they'd started to live together, he'd been more than happy to leave them in Luigi's and return home to her.

The taxi pulled up at her door, and Alex smiled as, she caught sight of the Christmas tree, fairy lights shinning, through the window. The driver turned to take her fare and grinned at her.

"I thought I knew your face! Alex, isn't it? 'ow are you? That present you got worth all that chasing around after 'is jacket?" Alex's face broke into a delighted smile as she recognised Bert Watson.

"Was it worth it? It changed my life, Mr. Watson, for the better. I can't ever thank you enough."

Bert blushed "What was it then? A cheque for a million quid?"

Alex shook her head "No. Better than that." Her fingers went up to brush the silver heart. "It brought the love of my life back to me."

"Really? You're 'aving me on! Honestly? That was my doing? Well, I never. You 'appy wiv 'im now, then?"

Alex nodded "Yes. Very happy."

He laughed, handing her back her money. "On the 'ouse, love. You've made my night. You 'ave a Merry Christmas!"

Alex waved as the cab trundled away up the street, then turned and let herself in to the house. She made her way downstairs to put the kettle on. She needed coffee as she wasn't feeling as sober as she would have liked. On the kitchen table was a note "Fridge full. Everything else in the larder. Switched on the lights for your return. See you tomorrow. Ros"

Good old Ros, thought Alex happily. What would she do without her. Since the fire at the factory, Rosalind Ward had become a good friend to Alex, and to Gene as well, with one or the other of them regularly dropping in to have tea with her. Alex knew that Gene got on really well with her and she was glad that he found her easy to talk to. Looking back over as much of Gene's childhood as she'd been allowed to know about, it would seem that it was the women in his family that had had the most influence on him, and she suspected that Ros was fulfilling the same role for him now in some way.

She was coming for Christmas Day, and knowing that Alex and Gene were both working, she'd insisted that she helped them out by doing all the food shopping for them that morning. Now that Mr Rahman didn't need her as his business was out of action, Ros had time on her hands and was only too pleased to help. Alex was looking forward to tomorrow as Tom Fletcher was coming to lunch as well. She was certain that he'd get on with Ros and had been pleased when had Gene wanted to invite him.

They'd been walking back along Piccadilly, late one evening, a fortnight ago. Gene had taken her out to dinner and they'd walked down to look at the Christmas window displays in Fortnum & Mason.

"What did you for Christmas last year?" she'd asked him, curious to know how he'd spent his time.

Gene had grimaced. "You really want to know?"

Seeing her nod, he'd laughed in embarrassment. "You'll think I'm a sad old git."

She'd said nothing, just waited.

"Well, I went to Luigi's with you lot. You were wearing that red dress, and I wanted to rip it off you, to be honest. Couldn't even look at you, you made me feel so horny." He'd paused, remembering, "No, not just horny, you made me feel lonely too, 'cos you were so far out of my reach. I wanted to tell you how I felt then, but I bottled it." She squeezed his hand tightly and tucked her arm into the crook of his. "Then you left. You were upset about something, and well... it was "Saucy Santa" night at the Royal Oak, so me and Ray went there instead. I remember spending lots of money on the girls, then I went upstairs with one of them, the little French bird, I think and that's about it really. Can't remember anything else. Woke up on the sofa on Boxing Day evening in all my clothes, so I can't have taken her back to mine." He'd frowned, still trying to remember and Alex had begun to laugh.

"You sad old git!"

He'd begun to laugh as well. "Told you. What did you do?"

"I stayed in my flat. Luigi made me come and join his family for lunch, but I didn't stay for long. I just watched telly and cried lots." She'd sighed. "I was a sad old git, too"

Gene had stopped, pulling her to him and kissing her gently, holding her face in his hands.

"It's different this year though, Bolly. There's us now. No more tears."

They'd walked on for a bit before Gene had asked her if it was true that Tom was on his own for Christmas. She'd nodded.

"You like Tom, don't you?"

Gene had chuckled "Yes I do. He reminds me a bit of Sam. All that youthful enthusiasm. He's as bloody annoying as Tyler was too."

Alex had waited him for say more, but he'd lapsed into thought. They'd got all the way the Piccadilly Circus before he broke his silence. "Alex….." he began.

"Yes" she'd said "The answers yes. Great idea. I'll ring Tom in the morning and ask him for Christmas."

He'd laughed "Am I that obvious?"

She'd nodded, her eyes bright with laughter.

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She'd left Luigi's for another reason other than letting the lads indulge in male bonding. She had a surprise for Gene and she needed to be home before him to change into it. Now she surveyed herself in the mirror. "It's Saucy Santa night here this year" she said, quietly, adjusting the minuscule glittery red Santa's Helper outfit that she'd purchased the week before, in yet another one of Soho's fabulous clothes shops. It was thoroughly tacky and tarty, but Alex knew it would make Gene laugh, amongst other things.

She checked that her stockings were done up properly, before going downstairs to the kitchen to wait for him. An hour went past and she started to be a little concerned. It was now half one in the morning and he'd sworn he wouldn't be that late. Who am I kidding, Alex thought, they were playing drinking games. I'll be lucky to see him this side of five a.m.

As she wondered whether to go to bed or continue to wait, she saw the familiar blue lights of an emergency vehicle, flash across the wall, lighting up the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she heard Gene's voice outside. He must have bullied uniform into giving him a lift home, she thought as she went up to open the front door. She knew from experience that he wouldn't even attempt to let himself in with his key, instead he'd ring the bell and shout through the letterbox for her, giving her a beaming smile when she finally appeared.

Alex didn't even look as she swung the door open wide, striking a sexy pose in her little red, fur-trimmed dress.

"B-luddy Hell! Is that you, Boss?" Ray stood on the middle step, sporting a black eye, one arm in a sling, the other draped round Angela.

In front of them, hand poised to ring the doorbell, stood Tom, an eyebrow raised at her outfit.

"DCI Hunt!" he called, "I think Alex needs you right away to decide if she's been naughty or nice!" He looked Alex up and down. "Very nice, Lexi. I would if I was that way inclined" he said, in a low tone of voice that only Alex caught. It was only then, as he turned to call to Gene again, that the light from the hall caught his face and Alex realized the left side of it was covered with a white hospital dressing, from his temple to his jawbone.

Gene made his way up the steps, swaying slowly. "Wot you on 'bout Fletch?" he asked drunkenly. He caught sight of Alex in all her sexy glory, and growled out loud, giving her the filthiest leer. Angela giggled the lecherous expression on his face.

"Christ Almighty, Bolly! You look very naughty to me. Not sure you should be dressed like that in fron' of DS Carlin' though. Nor Fletch. Where's your dressing gown?"

He lurched up the steps into the hall. "Sorry 'm late" he slurred, kissing her sloppily on the cheek. "Had a spot of bother with some tosser an' a broken bottle. Ray and Angela have missed their trains' home. Said they could stay here. Tom's stayin' too. No point goin' 'ome."

Alex latched on the one fact that made sense in the whole rambling speech." Ray doesn't catch a train home, he lives in Hackney."

"Not home……. HOME!" stressed Gene "Back to Manchester. Too late now. Still we've got enough food for two more people, right? C'me on, lads. We need a drink." Ray and Tom followed him into the sitting room obediently, leaving Angela standing the hall.

"I'm really sorry DI Drake" she said, looking worried. "We were all leaving Luigi's and it just all seemed to happen at once. I went to the hospital with them as I was the only one who was fairly sober. I'm sorry to put you to all this trouble. Mr Hunt was covered in blood, but it turned out to be DCI Fletcher's and the other bloke's."

Alex reached out and took her hand "It's no trouble, really. I'm just glad everyone's in one piece. Of course you can stay. Now come into the sitting room and we'll sort everything out."

To stop Ray's stares and Tom's smirks, Alex took Gene's advice and fetched her dressing gown before returning to the others in the sitting room. Gene had opened the whisky and had poured them all generous measures.

"Anyone going to tell me what happened?" she asked. "Tom, you look like you've suffered the worst of it. Explain."

"Yes Miss" he grinned and Gene chuckled. Tom smiled at Alex charmingly.

"Sorry Lexi. Too much to drink. Being silly." He took a deep breath. "We'd just left Luigi's and from out of no-where this bloke launched himself at Gene……" Gene interrupted him.

"Fletch stepped in fron' of me, Bols, pushed me out the way and got slashed in the face. We din't realise he had a broken bottle. Bastard."

Tom continued "Then Ray went to grab him and got cut on the wrist."

Alex turned to look at Ray in concern "It's OK" he reassured her. "It missed the artery. Lots of blood but no real lasting damage so they tell me."

"So did he get way?" asked Alex. Gene laughed and shook his head. "No. I got the bastard. Punched 'is bloody lights out. Bust 'is nose. Uniform took him off to the station and I went to 'ospital with these guys."

Alex looked at the three them, Ray and Tom lounging on the chairs, legs splayed out in front of them, Gene sprawled on the sofa. They all looked very much the worse for wear.

"Right, bed I think" she said decisively. "Angela, you can have the spare room, top floor."

"Thanks Ma'am." Angela smiled at her and stood up. Ray got up as well, to Alex's surprise. She didn't know their relationship had progressed that far.

"That's me off as well then. Night Fletcher, night Guv." He grinned at Alex "Thanks Boss. You're a star" Angela took his un-bandaged hand as they left the room together.

Alex turned to meet Gene's gaze. He was laughing at her. "Raymondo's in for a Happy Christmas then." He shouted through the doorway after them. "Don't you dare make too much bloody noise with all that shagging! Alex runs me ragged and I need my sleep!"

Tom laughed again, wincing as the stitches in his cheek pulled. "I'm on the sofa, all alone as usual, I suppose."

Alex went upstairs to the airing cupboard to fetch a spare pillow and one of the patchwork quilts she'd bought at Freddie's. Gene pushed himself up off the sofa, clapping Tom on the shoulder as he went. "Sleep well Fletch. I owe you one."

Tom raised an eyebrow at Alex, as she handed him the quilt. "Thank You, Tom." she told him, softly, kissing his cheek. "Gene's got far too many scars already." She brushed his cheek gently with her fingers. "Your poor face."

Tom turned away, embarrassed at her concern. Gene took her hand. "Leave him be, Alex. He's all right. Women love a man with a scar. Makes them look dangerous."

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Upstairs in their bedroom, Gene pulled Alex to him, undoing her dressing gown. "Let me look at you, Bolly." He grinned at her drunkenly, his eyes heavy–lidded with exhaustion. "This my Christmas present?" he asked, kissing her hungrily. "S'very nice….. Love it….. Love you 'n all."

He worked his way down her neck, his hands undoing the zip at the back of her dress.

"Can't wait 'til Christmas morning……I'm gonna unwrap you now."

Alex laughed quietly "It _is_ morning Gene." She helped him out of his clothes, pulling him into bed and under the duvet. "I'm freezing! Warm me up please."

He growled and pushed the length of his body against her, his mouth on hers, his fingers stroking and teasing inside her. He rolled her over, covering her body with his, nudging her legs apart gently. "Too tired to do it prop'ly" he murmured, as he eased himself into her, rocking his hips slowly, pushing up into her inch by delicious inch.

Alex slipped her hands round his waist, pulling him in deeper, her hips moving in time with his lazy, languid rhythm. "Feels like you're doing it properly from my point of view," she purred, wrapping her legs round his.

He bit gently at her neck, soft, nipping kisses that made her gasp. "You're so beautiful…..'an you make me feel so good." He groaned the words out softly, his breath whispering over her skin and Alex felt the slow, molten heat begin to build at the centre of her, spreading out across her stomach, rippling gently through her body. "Love you Gene" she whispered, her breath hitching in her throat. "Love you so much…..Oh! God!……… love how you make me feel……Oh! Yes!" She arched up against him, spiralling up into overwhelming pleasure, tipping over the edge, clutching him tightly as she convulsed around him.

He hissed through his teeth "God you feel good….. Oh god……gonna come Alex. Can't hold on….." He pushed harder, deeper into her, groaning as he released inside her, heat flooding into her. He held her, feathering light, whispering kissing over her face and neck, easing her over with him, to lie on their sides.

"Merry Christmas, Alex" he murmured, asleep before he'd even finished saying her name.

She kissed his lips softly, drifting off to sleep with him. "Merry Christmas Gene."

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When the alarm went off at seven, Alex forced herself to get out of bed, knowing that she had lots to do now that she had two extra guests for Christmas. She dressed quickly in jeans and a jumper, pulling her hair back into a pony tail, wanting to get all her chores done before she showered and got ready properly. She was just boiling the kettle for tea, when she heard someone coming downstairs. It was Ray, looking more than a little hungover, his injured arm held gingerly out in front of him, fresh blood staining the bandages. He grinned sheepishly at her.

"Morning Ma'am. Slept on it funny. Must've pulled the stitches and I don't want to get blood all over the place."

She pulled out a kitchen chair. "Sit down Ray. I'll redo it for you, and for heaven's sake just call me Alex. We're off duty" She flashed him a grin as she reached up into the cupboard for the first aid kit.

He nodded "OK Boss."

She unwrapped the bandages carefully, removing the old dressing, and finding a new one. "Yep, you've pulled the stitches slightly. Here, hold this on it tightly to stop the bleeding. No point bandaging it up again until it's stopped. I'll only have to do it again."

He sat there quietly whilst she made tea for them both. "So, you and Angela, then? Going well?"

He nodded, looking shy "Yep. After you made me go and talk to 'er, we got on OK. She's a nice girl. I like her."

"Only _like _her?" Alex queried.

Ray smiled "Like her" he reiterated "_Like_ her very much. Like's good enough for me. Don't think all that "love" stuff is really me. Mind you, I didn't think it were the Guv either, and look at how he is about you. Never seen 'im like this before"

Alex carried on pouring the milk into the mugs. She wanted to hear what Ray had to say about Gene. He'd known him longer than anyone else that she knew and consequently, could judge him perfectly. "Really?" she said casually, putting the tea down on the table between them and searching in the cupboard for biscuits.

"Never. The Guv's never been short of female attention, even when he were married. Always 'ad a woman, never had to do any chasing. Wi' you, it's different. He'd do anything for you. When we were looking for you in Waltham's club, I thought he was gonna fall to pieces in front of me when we couldn't find you. Looked like someone had ripped 'is heart out."

He dipped a chocolate digestive into his tea. "So, suppose it's marriage and kids now then, is it? He'll like that, house full of kids. How many does 'e want? More than one, I'll bet."

Alex shook her head "I don't want to get married and Gene's never wanted any children. He's made that quite clear."

Ray frowned, looking puzzled. "That's not true. Maybe he never wanted them wi' his wife, but he was gutted when Lizzie got rid of his baby. I remember getting drunk with him. Right mess, 'e was. Really cut up about it. Said it was only what 'e deserved for being such a bastard. Nearly killed 'imself wi' drink that evening."

"Lizzie? Who's she?"

Ray,watched Alex's reaction with dawning horror, suddenly understanding that he'd revealed far too much of the Guv's past. "You didn't know, did you? Shit! I'm sorry Alex. Really sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm not thinking straight with this hangover. Please don't say anything. He'll kill me, really kill me. Have me demoted and sent back to uniform."

Alex sighed, not at all angry, just desperately sad that Gene hadn't shared this part of his life with her. "No, he didn't tell me. He told me about his wife having a miscarriage when they were first married, but that's all. Who's Lizzie?" She saw him hesitate. "Please Ray. You can't leave it like that. I need to know."

Ray sighed "Promise you won't say anything. It's one of those things that the Guv, never talks about. Lizzie was a barmaid he took up wi' one summer. He'd just made DI and I'd just been promoted to DC. We used to drink together most nights. I 'ad no-one to go home to and the Guv didn't want to spend the evenings sitting indoors wi' his Missus. Lizzie worked in the pub, trying to earn enough money to go travelling. She were much younger than the Guv, only just turned twenty-two. She threw herself at him the minute she clapped eyes on 'im. Didn't care that he was married. They were at it like rabbits all the time, couldn't leave each other alone."

He saw Alex's face and looked panic-stricken. "It wasn't love or anything." he told her hastily. "The Guv's never loved anyone as far as I'm concerned. Well, 'cept you."

He fumbled in his pocket one-handed for his cigarettes, lighting one and taking a deep, calming drag. "The Guv knew the score with Lizzie. He fancied the arse off 'er and she was willing to put out for 'im, whenever he wanted. Which were more than 'is wife was. Truth was, he didn't treat Lizzie very well, used to shag 'er and then fuck-off again straight away. Sometimes I don't even think he said more than two words to 'er all evening. Anyway, one day, she tells 'im she's pregnant. In front of me, bold as brass. Said that it was his an' she wanted the money to pay to get rid of it."

Ray shook his head "He was devastated. Tried to persuade her to keep it, said that 'e couldn't leave 'is wife but, he'd give 'er money every month. See that she was OK. She laughed at 'im. I remember 'im telling me. She told 'im he was mad to even suggest it, she just wanted rid of it so she could go travelling. So he gave her the money. Took 'er there 'imself and collected 'er after to make sure she was OK. Could 'ave lost 'is job over it. Abortion wasn't legal then. Never saw 'er again after that. Stopped drinking in that pub. After that one night, he never talked about it again."

Alex struggled to take in what Ray was telling her "He told me he didn't want children because he was too scared of becoming like his Father. Why didn't he tell me about this?"

Ray looked sad. "Would you tell anybody, if you were 'im? Not something to be proud of is it, really? You know what the Guv's like. Everything's black and white wi' him. He makes a decision and 'e sticks wi' it. I think he's probably tried to forget about it. Buried it all so deep down inside himself, he can almost pretend it never 'appened. It's true about 'is dad. He was a vicious bastard, even I knew that. He had a terrible reputation. Not surprised the Guv's still scared of becoming like 'im. You've seen 'im come close to it on more than a few occasions. That temper he's got, that's from 'is Dad. He's getting better though. Even I can see he's changing"

He sighed again heavily. "I don't doubt for a minute that what he's told you about not wanting kids is what he thinks he wants. But truth is, I think when he was given the chance to be a father, he realized how he really felt. Then when it was taken away from 'im, he convinced himself that he didn't want it after all." He gave Alex a stricken look. "I'm really, really sorry I've told you this. On Christmas bloody Day an' all." He put his head in his hands "I am such a fucking div. If you want me to go, and not stay for lunch, I'll understand."

Alex patted his shoulder, choosing her words carefully, sorting out her feelings. "It's OK Ray. I'm not angry about it, and I promise I won't let Gene know that you've said anything. I'm a grown-up girl. I can deal with this."

She began to bandage up his arm, her heart heavy. No wonder he didn't say anything to me, she thought. Poor, lonely, damaged man. Doesn't know how to love. Doesn't know how to be the man he wants to be. Doesn't know how to let go of his fears and live a different life.

Mind you, do any of us, she wondered, remembering her guilty secret that she'd never reveal to Gene. She let her mind go back to the past, to the year her marriage ended. Molly had been 4 then, and Alex had been away on a training course for a week. She remembered that she'd made a conscious decision to be unfaithful to Alistair, a calculated act to prove to herself that her marriage was over, that she no longer wanted her husband to be a part of her life.

She'd assessed every man on the course, weighing them up. In the end it had been one of the barmen that had caught her eye. Young, and under no illusions as to what she wanted from him, they'd spent the week screwing each other senseless, Alex revelling in her new-found libido, sadly absent in recent years after the birth of Molly, and the constant fighting with Alistair. She'd returned home, sore and sleep-deprived, the marks of a stranger's teeth still on her body and told Alistair that he had to leave, that their marriage was over. She'd been cold, cruel even. Had needed to be, in order to go through with it.

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"There you go. All done. Why don't you take Angela up some tea?" she suggested, and Ray nodded, realizing that she needed to be on her own for a while.

After he'd left, Alex curled up on the sofa, staring out of the window. I wanted to live a different life from that of my parents, but look at me, she thought, I became my Mother; too involved with work to spend time with my child, unfaithful to my husband. I even married Alistair because he was like my Father. Who am I to judge Gene for not being able to break out of the prison of his past.

She caught a movement in the corner of her eye, a flicker of white from outside. She stood up and stepped towards the windows, searching for whatever it was that she'd seen. A figure moved silently, half hidden behind the apple tree that grew against the far wall.

Frowning Alex undid the French windows and went outside. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to race in terror as she realized it was the Clown. He tipped his head on one side and smiled wistfully at her.

"Happy Alex?" She couldn't be sure if he'd actually spoken or she'd just heard his voice in her head. She nodded, too scared to speak.

"I don't want to leave. Please... I love him" she whispered eventually.

The clown nodded his head "I know. You chose to be here. You didn't leave when I came for you in the mirror. You chose him. There's no going back now, Alex" The white face looked at her solemnly for a minute, then broke into a smile and Alex saw her father's face through the make-up "He loves you. Love means everything. It defines us. Live your life here, Alexandra. Be happy." She blinked and he was gone.

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"Alex? Alex! Wake up! You can't fall asleep now, we've got a lunch to cook. Who opened the windows? It's freezing." Gene's hand shook her shoulder gently. She blinked and stretched, confused at finding herself on the sofa. She got up and went over to him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she could. "I love you, Gene Hunt," she told him. He smiled at her. "Love you too, Bolly, but make me some tea, there's a good girl. Have you had any breakfast?" he continued "We don't want you keeling over with hunger before you've finished peeling all those spuds for dinner."

In the end, everyone helped with preparing the meal, except Ray, who was excused because of his hand. They put the radio on and the familiar, comforting sound of Christmas carols filled the kitchen.

Alex slipped away upstairs to retrieve one of Gene's presents from under the tree. She removed the label from the bottle of 15 year old Laphroaig, writing out a new one with Ray's name on it. "Sorry Gene" she muttered, placing it back under the tree. She retrieved the wrapping paper and tape from the sideboard and carefully wrapped up Angela's present, a pale, rose pink woollen jumper that Alex had bought for herself earlier that week. It was beautifully soft but the colour was wrong on her. Angela, with her corn blonde hair and deep blue eyes would suit it perfectly.

Ros arrived at midday, and she and Tom proceeded to get on like a house on fire. Christmas dinner when it was served at four o'clock was a raucous affair, the jokes flying thick and fast, with everyone teasing each other. Angela had lost her fear of Gene and was joining in with rest them in winding up about supporting Arsenal.

Gene and Tom cleared the table and washed up, much to Alex's delight. Ros waited until Ray and Angela had gone downstairs with more dirty plates and glasses, before asking Alex if Gene knew about Tom.

"I knew you'd pick up on that" she said. "No he doesn't. Tom told me very early on in our friendship but no-one else knows. Especially not Gene, he has very definite views about that sort of thing."

"Poor Tom" she said sympathetically. "Must be so hard for him, always having to hide who he really is all the time. I had a cousin who was gay and he could never tell anyone but me."

"Must have been very lonely for him" offered Alex.

Ros smiled "Well, no actually. I think it was easier in those days. So much easier to lead separate lives. He made sure he married a woman who loved living in the country, slept with her just enough to give her 4 children, and spent most his time up in town, at his club. The phrase "I'm staying at my club tonight darling" covered a whole multitude of sins."

Alex laughed, wondering if she should talk to Ros about what Ray told her that morning. Later she decided, not today. Toady is too special.

They all opened their presents when Gene and Tom returned from the kitchen, Ray and Angela having been reassured several times that it was OK that they didn't have gifts for anyone.

"Not your fault. You didn't know some nutter with a bottle was going to attack us" said Gene, watching enviously as Ray unwrapped the bottle of Laphroaig.

"Ray, don't you dare let him make you open it." warned Alex. "He'll only drink it all and it's your present, not his."

Tom gave Ros a huge box of handmade chocolates, for Gene there was a book on classic cars and for Alex he'd chosen a leather-bound, hand made, photograph album. He watched her carefully as she unwrapped. "It's for you to fill with pictures of your new life, Lexi. Pictures of the both of you, together. Who knows, maybe there'll be baby pictures in it soon." He grinned wickedly, and Alex rolled her eyes at him. Gene said nothing, seemingly engrossed in reading about Porsches.

Ros gave Alex a framed line drawing of a Burne-Jones angel. "To watch over you my dear", Tom and Gene each received a box of Cuban cigars, and for Gene there was an antique silver cigar case. "It was my husbands" she told him. "He'd be delighted that it was being put to use again after all these years."

Alex had found a beautiful, thick coffee table book of photographs of India for Ros. She was delighted by it, turning the pages slowly, pointing out the places that she'd lived in or visited. For Tom she'd bought a red cashmere scarf and a pair of soft leather gloves, as he was always complaining about the cold. She was most worried about Gene's present. It had cost her a fortune and she still had a few more payments to make on it to Raymond Pargetter. He'd been apologetic about the price of it, giving her the best deal he could, but it was a collectors item and therefore expensive.

She held her breath praying that he'd like it, as he opened the box, removing the tissue paper. He looked up at her, astonished. "What did you do? Sell your soul?" he said softly.

"Maybe" she replied "You're worth it though"

"What's she got you Guv?" Ray craned his neck to see.

"A watch" said Tom.

Gene laughed unsteadily. "It's not just a watch. It's a Rolex. A bloody vintage Submariner, like James Bond wears."

Tom Fletcher whistled. "It must be love"

Gene carefully fastened the watch on his wrist, then leaned over to Alex, who was next to him on the sofa, kissing her slowly and lovingly, not bothered that the others were watching. "Thank you. It's perfect"

"Your present from Gene's still under the tree Lexi" remarked Tom. "In a big box"

Gene stopped her from getting up. "You're not opening that in front of this lot. It's for later. Open this now" He took a folded-over envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to her.

"I have sold my soul. The bank owns my bollocks now" he told her gravely, his eyes locked onto hers.

Mystified, she tore it open. All it contained was the key to the front door and an other folded piece of paper. Puzzled she unfolded it and began to read. Before she'd even got halfway down the page, her eyes filled with tears and she was unable to see anymore. She said nothing, her throat closed up with emotion, burying her face in Gene's chest. The others watched her, confused.

"What?" asked Tom "What have you done Gene?"

"He's bought this house" whispered Alex. She pulled herself back from him, looking at him in disbelief. "You've bought this house."

He nodded, his eyes dark with emotion.

"How? Why?" she was babbling now, unable to take in what he'd done.

"How? I had the money from the house in Manchester, and my Auntie Alice left me her place when she died. The money's just been sitting there in the bank. May as well put it to good use." He reached for her hand, finding it and squeezing it tightly. "Why? I want a home, Alex. A home with you."

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Later that night, when everyone had gone home, Alex lay in bed, Gene's head pillowed on her shoulder, his body curved against hers, an arm and a leg wrapped over her possessively. She stroked his skin gently, hers still tingling from her orgasm. He'd made her cry as she came, tears of such intense joy that her body had ached and shuddered. He's kissed them away afterwards. "I'm here" she'd said to him,softly "I'm really here, and I'm staying."

Gene had laughed, sleepily. "'Course you're here. You with me,and I'm not letting you go anywhere." She felt as though everything had totally changed, yet had all stayed the same. "Live you life here" the Clown had told her. She remembered Shaz, all those months ago when she'd first arrived, telling her that just before you died all the mistakes you'd made in your life flashed before your eyes.

Maybe now she had a second chance, a chance to put the mistakes right. To life her life again, unafraid to break away from her past. Maybe Gene had that chance now, too. Alex raised his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. He murmured and his grip tightened. Closing her eyes, sleep claimed her, bringing with it dreams of a different life for them both.


	32. Chapter 32

"This is the sixth case of this kind in the last 4 months. We can't just ignore this any more, Gene. We need to find out who's responsible for these attacks."

Gene sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. "It's six cases of blokes getting beaten up. Nothing special, any amount of blokes get a good kicking every Friday or Saturday night, Bolly. They just don't all come whining to us. I don't know why you're so bothered about it."

Alex ground her teeth in frustration. "They were burnt with acid! That's not just getting into a drunken fight on the way home. It's premeditated! Did you even read the report on the last attack? I left it on your desk?" Gene looked evasive, pushing the stacks of paper around half-heartedly."You didn't, did you? Well, if you had, you'd realise there's a connection between three of the victims. "

He looked at her impatiently "They're all mouthy gits, or flash bastards who get themselves into fights?" he hazarded "All just "in the wrong place and the wrong time"? No, wait a minute, they're all blokes who like a drink at the pub and run into some random nutter on the way home." He smirked at her, enjoying winding her up. "As I said before, it happens all the time."

Alex shook her head. "You can take the piss if you want to, Gene, ignore the report, shove it to the bottom of the pile, but if this carries on, and certain elements of the press get hold of it, we'll be accused of discrimination. This isn't just a random nutter. I think he's targeted these men specifically because they're gay."

"I don't need this right now, Alex. I am up to my bloody eyes wi' this drugs investigation. I have a city flooded with cocaine, dealers on practically every damn street corner and no sodding idea where it's coming from or who's responsible for it! I am not interested in a couple of shirt-lifting fairies who've been smacked around a bit!"

He glared at her, eyes narrowed , and Alex realised that direct confrontation wasn't going to work. He'd be bad-tempered for the rest of the day, and continue his sulk when they got home. Admittedly, at some point in the evening they'd have fantastic make-up sex and go to sleep happy with each other again, but it wouldn't get her what she wanted now, which was help with this case.

"Gene, please, just let me have one of the team to help me this afternoon in checking some other cases. If I don't find anything, you can have them back tomorrow. I know the drugs issue is important, but I think this is too. Trust me."

He looked sideways at her, his mouth set in a considering pout. Alex remained silent, knowing that he had to decide this for himself. She couldn't use her influence over him or he'd resent it at some point and relegate the case even further down the list of priorities.

"I'm going to make tea. Want one?" she asked him as she headed for the door of his office, leaving him alone to consider her request.

"Yes" he snapped in reply, the frustration still clear in his voice. Alex decided to ignore the lack of the word please. He had enough on his mind without her getting picky.

She was just adding sugar to the mugs when she him heard him address the team.

"Listen up, you lot. Drake's got a bee in her bonnet about some queer-bashing case and needs someone to help her wi' it. Who's feeling generous, or alternatively, who's pissed me off? Hands up who wants to be sprinkled wi' fairy dust."

Alex stuck her head round the partition and watched as most of them cowered in their seats, studiously avoiding eye-contact.

DC Ellis raised his hand nervously. "I'll help DI Drake, Guv" he offered.

Gene raised his eyebrows at him before turning to Alex. "Well, there you are, Drake. DC Ellis is your knight in shinning armour. Or should that be your Fairy Godmother."

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"Right, what I need you to do is make some calls. See if there's been any other cases like this reported in other areas. It should be easy to identify them. All the victims, apart from the first one, were burnt with battery acid, on either their faces or their torsos." Alex smiled at Ellis encouragingly.

He smiled back, awkwardly, grabbing the case files from her. Alex knew that he still felt odd about the aftershave incident. The rest of the team had taken the piss out him unmercifully, and worse still, he'd borne the brunt of Gene's frustrated anger.

From what she'd seen of him, Peter Ellis was a good copper, observant, reliable, little bit too reserved to really shine, but Alex knew that was because he was terrified of incurring Gene's wrath, or Ray's sarcasm. Fortunately, he was nearly always partnered by DS Bartlett, a cheerful, laid-back, bear of a man, who was always being teased about his ever expanding family. His wife was a couple of months away from having their fifth child and he showed no signs of even feeling slightly stressed about all those mouths to feed.

"Right, whilst your doing that, I'm going to take Shaz with me to talk to the bar manager at Wilde's. Three of the victims had spent the evening there and I need to see if he remembers anything."

Ellis looked hesitant, clearly wanting to say something to her, but, as always, just too shy.

"I'll fill you in on the details when we get back." Alex assured him. "I'm not excluding you. I just think it's probably less intimidating to take a female officer with me."

"I know that Ma,am." He looked down at the desk and spoke quietly. "My older brother's gay. He goes to places like Wilde's. That's why I offered to help. It could be him that's attacked next time." He gave her an anxious glance. "You won't tell the others, will you, Ma'am? I'm not ashamed of him. It's just easier if they don't know."

"I won't say a word, Peter. It's your business, not mine." Alex told him, pulling on her coat. "You ready, Shaz? Right, we'll see you later."

Ellis gave her a grateful smile as she and Shaz pushed through the doors. Gene leaned out of his office. "Where are you two off to?" he shouted, grumpily.

"Bit of business, Gene." Alex called back, breezily, employing Gene's own ambiguous phrase that he trotted out whenever he didn't want to explain in greater detail. "I'll see you later."

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Wilde's was on Old Street, not far from the station, tucked on the corner of a run-down group of buildings. The bar was on the ground floor, with the club in the basement only open on certain nights of the week. Alex parked the unmarked car out the front, and rang the bell on the intercom. A man's voice, answered them, buzzing the door open when Alex gave him her name. They went up the narrow stairs to the third floor where Andy Simmons, the bar manager, had a flat.

He was unshaven and tired-looking, obviously unused to being up so early in the morning. Alex began by apologising for troubling him at such an early hour. He waved her apologies away.

"To be honest Inspector, I'm just grateful that somebody is actually taking an interest in this at last. I can't believe that nothing has been done up until now." He reached for his cigarettes as Alex laid out the pictures of the six men. "If it was six women that had been burnt with acid, you lot would've been crawling all over it." He gave Alex a wry look. "Sorry. That's unfair of me to take it out on you."

Alex shook her head. "No. It's OK. You're right. If it was women instead of men, there would be a completely different attitude to the case. All I can do is assure you that I will do the best I can to catch whoever is responsible." She handed the photos to him, one by one.

"These men have all been attacked in the same way, apart from this one. He was the first victim. He wasn't burnt, just very badly beaten. Now we know that these three, Stuart Miller, Matt Kirby and Neil Brody were all attacked on their way home from this club. The other three say that they sometimes drink here, but they were attacked elsewhere. What I really need to know is, are they regulars here, who they drink with, who they left the club with? I need to see if there's any connections."

He studied the photos for a minute, then picked out three of them. "They're always here on Friday and Saturday, in the bar, and then the club." Simmons pointed at a forth photograph. "He only drinks in the bar, never comes downstairs to the club when it opens. We get a mixed group of punters in the bar upstairs. Doesn't necessarily follow that they're gay if they drink here. The other two, I don't recall seeing them here. That's not to say they've never been in, I just don't recognise them."

He picked out a couple of the photographs. "These two, Matt and Stuart, they've got someone in common. An ex. He's another regular, one of your lot in fact. He's not been in here recently, though. Must have found himself someone special. Nice guy, very cute looking. Well, he was until he got his face slashed up at Christmas. He's never short of attention. With that scar, he looks a lot more dangerous. Every one loves a bad boy, don't they?"

Alex froze, not quite able to take in what he's just said. "A scar, you said. Which side of his face is it?"

Simmons indicated to the left side of his face. Alex felt sick. "I don't suppose you know this guy's name, do you?"

He laughed "Well I know the name he uses when he's in here. It's Todd, but it may not be his real one. Lots of guys here give false names. It's easier that way. Less chance of being found out, back in the real world where everyone's straight."

Shaz sat by her, watching silently, as Alex gathered up the photos.

"Thank you for your help, Mr Simmons. We'll be in touch if we need you for anything else." Alex led the way back down the stairs. She didn't speak until they reached the car. "I think we need a cup of tea and a chat, Shaz."

They went to a café round the corner from Old Street Station. She knew that they wouldn't be likely to run into anyone from Fenchurch East there. Shaz sipped her tea and watched Alex worriedly.

"He was talking about DCI Fletcher wasn't he Ma'am? It can't be anyone else, not with a scar…… Is he really gay?"

Alex nodded grimly "Yes, he is. You can't tell anyone about this, Shaz. Not until I've had time to talk to him about it. Not even DS Ellis." She rested her chin in her hands. "I really don't know what to do about this. I can't keep it quiet forever. Tom doesn't want anyone to know, but people are going to find out now. It's going to destroy him."

Shaz looked nervous "What's the Guv going to say when he finds out? He goes to football with 'im and everything, doesn't he?"

"That's what I'm really worried about. Let's face it, The Guv's not exactly known for his tolerance of others, is he? He's going to be furious, especially when he realises that I've known about Tom for months." She sighed. "This is where working and living together gets complicated."

"What's it like though Ma'am? Living with the Guv?" Shaz grinned at her, leaning forward eagerly. "He scares the life out of me sometimes, but he's lovely underneath it all, isn't he? Are you glad you're back together."

Alex's face softened "Oh Shaz. I wouldn't change it for the world. He's rude and awkward, and so frustrating, but he's all I want. All I need, really. He's different when he's not at work." She gazed off into space for a moment, and then shook her head. "It can't go on though. We can't seriously carry on working with each other if we're living together as well. It's only worked so far because the pair of us have been on our best behaviour. Some thing's got to give. I have a feeling that this case is going to be the catalyst that changes things, whether I like it or not."

Shaz frowned "You're not going ditch him are you?"

Alex laughed "No! Never! I think it's going to have to be work that changes. My role, my location, something. Last year, I'd never have considered it, but I can see the bigger picture now. Just don't say anything to the rest of the lads"

"I'll miss you if you do leave, Ma'am" said Shaz, quietly. "You've been a real breath of fresh air."

Alex reached over and squeezed her arm affectionately "Thanks Shaz."

They finished their tea and returned to the station to see what Ellis had managed to dig up. He'd found details of four more cases, all within the last six months. He was the only one left in the office.

"Everyone else is out on surveillance. They've got a tip off about a big drugs delivery. The Guv told me to tell you that if we don't come up with anything else today, I've to stop fannying around with fairies and get back to real police work."

"I take it that's a direct quote from his Lordship?" Alex asked wearily.

Ellis grinned "'fraid so, Ma'am. The case files are being sent over to us. We should receive them tomorrow. I've put all the attacks in chronological order, look, and I've marked the locations of where they took place. They're either at the club on Old Street, the Tavistock Arms pub, near Russell Square and one on Exmouth Market. The victim on that occasion was walking back from a house in Clerkenwell, early in the morning."

Alex felt her stomach constrict. Tom Fletcher lived in Clerkenwell.

"Good work Peter. Can you set up interviews with the victims, please? I need to talk to them all again to try and find any similarities in the attacks. I'm just going to make a phone call."

She ducked into Gene's office and shut the door. She dialled the number for Tom's direct line, only to be told he was on leave for a couple of days. She tried his home number but got no answer. Damn, she fumed. Where the bloody hell is he? His life is potentially about to go tits up and I can't find him.

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She spent the rest of day with Peter Ellis and Shaz, interviewing the 5 men that they'd managed to contact. All them had the same things to say about their attacker. None of them had seen anything that would positively identify him, it had all been too quick. He'd knocked them down from behind, kicking their legs from under them, then beaten them viciously. As they'd been lying on the ground he'd thrown the acid on them.

Two of them had told her that their attacker had been shaven-headed, one of them had mentioned that he'd been heavily built, "Like he worked out a lot." Alex felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly. Tom wasn't either of these things.

The last man they spoke to, Stuart Miller told Alex that he thought that his attacker had known what he was doing. "It felt as though he was used to fighting. He was much stronger than me anyway. No point in trying to fight back."

He'd looked at Alex, grimly, one eye permanently half-closed with scar-tissue, where the acid had burned his skin. "Who ever he is, I hope you find him soon, before he kills someone. Apart from my face, I think I got off lightly. Poor Matt was beaten so badly he was in hospital for a week."

Alex had steeled herself and asked him if he knew a man named Todd. "He's a Met detective. The manager at the club seemed to think you'd been involved with him at some point. Matt Kirby was too, according to him."

Miller had nodded "Don't know if you'd call it "involved". We slept together a couple of times. Todd's a bit of a tart, you know. Different guy every week. Matt and him lasted a bit longer, three weeks or so. I get the feeling Todd's just waiting for the man of his dreams to finally admit he's gay."

Alex felt her mouth drop open in shock. Surely Tom wasn't hoping that Gene… Miller continued speaking, thankfully ending her bizarre train of thought.

"He's got this guy he sees every now and then. He's a journalist, I think,…….. he's definitely married though. Todd's know him for years. He was his best man." Miller laughed, bitterly. "Not enough to fuck up your own life by pretending to be straight, you have to go and ruin some poor cow's life as well. Todd's too, really. He's just wasting time, waiting for him to decide which way he's going to go."

"Can you describe Todd to me?" Alex asked, praying that he wasn't going to mention a scar.

"Sure. He's mid-thirties, six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes. Nice looking. Gorgeous body. Not well-built, just nice and lithe." He gave Alex a quick smile. "Sorry. I'm getting carried away. He's got a sort of "boy-next-door" thing going on, even with the scar."

Alex's heart sank. "Scar?"

"Yes. On his face. Left cheek. It happened at Christmas. He pushed one of his mates out the way of a bloke with a broken bottle."

"Must have been really best mates to something like that." Alex was curious to hear what Tom had told him.

"Absolutely. Said he'd do it again with no hesitation. Todd says this guy is one of the best. He's a copper like him. Called him a diamond hidden in a rough exterior."

Alex smiled. "That's about right."

"You know him then?"

"I know both of them."

Miller shook his head in sympathy "Good luck with this one then, Inspector. I think it's going to gets worse before it gets better."

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Gene returned in the afternoon, hugely pissed off because the surveillance op had turned up nothing of interest. Alex kept out of his way until she heard him send everyone off to Luigi's.

"I'll see you over there" she told him, waiting until everyone had gone before trying to contact Tom again. No answer. She sat re-reading the interview notes, only realising the time when Ray came to find her after an hour.

"Come and cheer 'im up, Boss. He's on the verge of becoming a right miserable bastard for the rest of the evening. He needs you to make 'im smile."

Alex found Gene at the table in the furthest corner of the bar, silently smoking and brooding over what had occurred that afternoon. She ordered pasta for them both, to soak up some of the alcohol in his system, whilst she caught up with him. By nine o'clock he was a different man, mellow and relaxed, leaning close to Alex as she idly stroked his arm, her legs entwined with his under the table.

He looked at her, a half-smile on his lips as she traced a figure of eight on the sensitive skin in the crook of his elbow.

"You trying to turn me on, DI Drake?" he murmured. "'Cos, if you are, I can tell you, it's working"

She laughed, softly "Glad to know I haven't lost my touch."

"Well, here's the thing Bolly." He leaned closer to her, his lips against her cheek. Alex felt her heart begin to race, shivers skittering down her spine. "You don't even need to try and turn me on. You just do. All you have to do is walk into a room and I'm lost."

Alex blushed and started to reply, when the restaurant erupted into a storm of clapping and cheering. Turning, they saw Luigi delivering a bottle of champagne to a couple in centre of the room; the man was still down on one knee in front of his tearfully happy girlfriend. As they watched, he slipped the ring onto her finger, reaching up to kiss and hug her tightly.

Alex became aware of Gene watching her intently. She glanced at him quickly, taking care to keep her expression neutral. He looked away, his face equally clear of emotion.

"Suppose you'll be wanting all that, at some point." He jerked his head towards the happy couple.

Alex forced herself to stay calm. "All what" she asked.

"You know, the ring, the wedding, the legal commitment." He stared at table, swirling his whisky round and round in his glass.

"What gives you that idea?" Alex replied, carefully, aware of the emotional and verbal minefield in which she suddenly found herself.

He shrugged. "Isn't that what all women want? We've got the house together, so then we should get married, then we should have kids" His voice was low and steady and she could read nothing from his words.

Alex took his hand, linking her fingers through his, choosing her words truthfully and carefully, noting Gene's mention of children, but deciding to ignore it for now.

"I've been married Gene. I don't want to do it again. It's not something I'm comfortable with." She hesitated, unsure if she should ask the next question. "You can't possibly want to get married again, can you? Not after how it made you feel."

"I don't know. I don't think so. I just thought you'd want to, I suppose. You know all about my marriage. The complete and utter balls-up that I managed to make of it. I don't know anything about yours. You never talk about it. All I know is you got married young, you had a child and you split up. What I am supposed to learn from that, Bolly? I'm doing my best, but I've not got much to work with really." He gripped her fingers hard. "Talk to me Alex. Tell me why you don't want to be married again. Please. I need to understand."

She took a sip of her wine, and nodded "It's not really fair of me is it." She took a deep breath and was about to speak when Gene turned his head sharply to speak to someone over his shoulder.

" Don't even think about interrupting us to tell us some ridiculous joke, Christopher" he growled. "I'll have another whisky, Alex'll have a glass of plonk, we'll collect them when we're ready, now bugger off, thank you very much."

Chris backed away, silently. Alex tried not to smile. Gene turned back to her. "Carry on, Bolly. I'm listening."

Alex wondered where to start and realise that she had to go right back to the beginning for him to understand. She'd have to bend the facts slightly, but the truth of her story would be the same.

"My parents died in a car accident when I was young. I was brought up by my…, by a male relative. I was the odd one out at school and I didn't really try to fit in. I certainly didn't have time for boys. Instead, I worked really hard, got good exam results and went to University. I met Alistair there, and fell for him in a big way. He was my first real boyfriend. Not just another casual sexual encounter. He was tall, handsome, a brilliantly talented law student…"

"You're not making me feel very good about myself, here Bols. You're supposed to tell me he was a useless waste of space who made you feel crap." Gene was smiling but his eyes were anxious.

Alex squeezed his hand. "All in good time. Just shut up and listen." He laughed, but said nothing else, waiting for her to continue. When she did, she spoke slowly, feeling her way through the mass of emotions that talking about her marriage generated in her.

"Alistair reminded me of my father. He was everything that he had been. He made me feel safe and clever, and loved, I suppose. We got married the year after we both graduated. He went to work in Chambers near Temple Bar and I started with the Met. It was all fine at first. He was proud of me, very encouraging about my career. When I got pregnant it all changed."

She stopped for a moment, wondering how best to phrase it, knowing she had to be honest with him, but equally, very aware of his own haunted past.

"I didn't want to have a baby. It wasn't planned, it just happened. I was distraught. I had a good career ahead of me. My Mother was supremely successful at what she did, and all I wanted to do was be like her, and to try to live up to her memory.

I was terrified that I'd be like her as a Mother. I remember as a child feeling as though I was just an annoyance to her, just another drain on her time. I know differently now. I know that she regretted not spending enough time with me and that she was going to try and put it right. She died before she got the chance too.

Alistair persuaded me that it would all be OK. He was supportive at first. It was only when Molly was born that it all changed. His family were very traditional. Women stayed at home, raised children and played bridge. They ran the home and the men went out to work. It wasn't what I wanted to do at all, so inevitably the rows started. I threw myself into work even more, trying to forget about everything else. When Molly was four it had got to the point where I just couldn't stand it any more. I was sick of fighting against him. I felt trapped. I wanted more from life. So I asked him to leave, told him I wanted a divorce."

Gene looked at her, shocked. "Bloody Hell, Bolly. I thought he'd left you. Not that you told 'im to sling his hook. I'd best watch my step."

"No! You don't understand. I didn't love him. I never really loved him. I loved that fact that he was like my father. It was what he represented that I loved, not Alistair himself. I know that now. I never, ever felt about him, the way I feel about you. When I was with Waltham, when I thought that I was going to die, all I could think about was you. No one else, not even my daughter, only you."

She reached out and pushed a hand through his hair, cupping his cheek. He leaned into her hand, turning to kiss her palm. "All I wanted to do was see you again, to tell you that I loved you." Alex looked at him, hoping that all the love she had in heart for him, showed in her eyes.

He dropped his gaze, playing with his glass again.

"I don't need to be married to you, Gene. Marriage isn't going to make me happy. It's certainly not going to make you happy either. All those negative emotions you feel when you think about "a wife". Be honest with me. What does the word "wife" make you feel when you hear it. Off the top of your head. Indulge my word-association psycho babble."

He chuckled. "OK. When I hear "wife", I think... boring,... trapped,... guilt,... anger...loneliness..."

He stopped, frowning at her. "That's not good is it, Bolly. Even I know that."

She shook her head "No it isn't, and when I hear the word marriage, I think exactly the same things. I don't want to be a "wife". I want us to be together always, because we love each other, not because a piece of paper says we should."

There was a long silence, but finally he looked up at her. "Understood, Alex. I'm OK with that. You're too sexy to be a wife, anyway. And the knickers you wear are far too small. Wives wear bloody great shapeless things that go grey in the wash." He leaned forward and kissed her as she laughed at him. "Where's that drink that Chris got in for us?"

Alex grinned, looking over at the girl who was showing off her engagement ring to Luigi. "You can buy me a ring if you like, though".

He laughed. "I knew there'd be a bloody catch!"

"Lets go home Gene. Let me show you just how happy I can make you"

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"Come here, Alex" Gene growled as she knelt at the bottom of the bed, tugging his trousers off over his feet. She laughed as looked at him, stretched out across the mattress, wearing just his shirt and boxers. "Why?" she teased. "What do you want?"

"You. I want to rip that floaty thing off you, and those very small knickers, as well." He growled again, deep in his chest "Come here now, Alex." She held his gaze as she crawled slowly up the length of his body, the soft material of her short, babydoll nightie brushing against his skin as she moved.

Gene adored her in underwear or ridiculously sexy nightwear. The box under the Christmas tree that he'd refused to let her open in front of anyone else, had been full of the stuff. When she'd finally opened it, late on Christmas Day, Alex had been astounded. The underwear had been beautiful, exactly what she would have chosen herself. Alex had long ago recognised the need within herself to indulge her inner "tart" with racy, even slightly slutty combinations of silk and lace. The nightwear had been totally impractical for actually sleeping in, but deliciously naughty none the less.

"You actually went and bought all of this" she'd asked him.

Gene had nodded. "Of course. It's not difficult. I just made a note of what size you are."

"But you'd have had to go into a shop. I can't get you to set foot across the threshold of a department store normally."

He'd grinned at her wickedly "Well, that's 'cos you're normally shopping for boring stuff. Underwear's different. Anyway, it's easy. You just walk in, look a bit lost and some fancy-looking assistant pops up out of nowhere, and runs around fetching things for you. Don't know why most blokes get in such a panic about it, to be honest."

Alex had surveyed him as he'd sprawled in front of the fire, broad-shouldered and loose-limbed, his hair golden in the firelight, his eyes glittering at her from under his impossibly long eyelashes. I bet they bloody fight each other to help you buy underwear, she'd thought to herself with a smile. I wouldn't be surprised if they offered to model it for you too.

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"You not ripping this off me" she laughed. "I like it too much. You've got good taste, Gene."

She reached his boxer shorts and hooked her thumbs under the waistband. "Off" she told him, pulling them down. "And that shirt."

She crawled up further up, slipping the material from his shoulders. He reached up under the short nightdress, his hands stroking her body, the heat from his palms making her skin burn. She sat astride him, feeling him hard against her. She rocked her hips slowly and he groaned, pulling her down to lie on top of him, capturing her mouth with his.

He rolled her over until she lay underneath him, his fingers slowly unlacing the ribbons that held the bodice of her nightdress closed.

"You're right Bols. This is too good to rip. Makes you look so damn sexy"

Bending his head, he licked gently at her exposed skin, moving his tongue over her breasts until he found the taut, aching buds of her nipples. He bit and licked at them, moving from one to other, pulling them gently through his teeth, until she tangled her hands into his hair, moaning wordlessly, writhing against him.

Moving lower, he kissed down her stomach, slipping his fingers underneath the material of her knickers, easing them off her. She felt his teeth graze her hip, nipping at her flesh, tongue trailing lower, his hot breath on her thigh.

Softly, so softly she could hardly feel it at first, he licked her, his tongue finding her clit, making the pulse that beat there, jump and race with desire. She pushed herself against his mouth and he thrust his tongue inside her. "Jesus bloody Christ."Alex whispered hoarsely, the words wrenched from her throat.

Her hands found his hair again and she held his head against her, rocking herself against his mouth. "That's so good…so good… oh god!"

Gene stopped, moving back up her body, finding the curve of her breast, covering it with his mouth, sucking at it insistently. She felt herself begin to pulse, the heat sweeping through her as he slipped his fingers inside her, curling them up and down, making her sob with the sensations that raked her body. He held her, waiting until she'd stopped shaking, before pulling her on top of him again.

He held her hips steady as she sat up, straddling him. She could feel him hot and ready for her against her thigh. Raising her hips, she rubbed herself gently along the length of him, making him moan with desire. "God, Alex…. Please... Need to be inside you…"

He grabbed her hips, guiding her over him, grunting as she lowered herself onto him slowly, sliding his thick, hard cock into her. She hissed through her teeth as she urged her hips down onto his, as close as she could get. He was so deep inside, she could feel the heat of him at the core of her.

She began to move slowly, riding him. His hands rested on her hips and he threw his head back in ecstasy. Alex leaned back, hands gripping Gene's legs, her body bucked up against his, moving faster. She moaned in pleasure with every thrust of her hips. His breath came in ragged gasps.

"Oh… nearly Alex, nearly… God….. Love you….. you make me feel….Jesus... no-one else…" Gene's eyes were closed, his whole body tensed, his fingers digging into her hips. He came hard inside her, shouting her name, the heat from him spilling out into her. Alex felt herself clench around him, her second climax ripping through her, far more intense than the first.

She fell forward onto his chest, his arms reaching up to catch her. "Love you so much" she murmured, sliding herself off him to lay alongside . "You make me feel so good."

She felt his breath whisper against her ear. "Good." She could hear the smile in his voice. "You make happy, Alex. I've never felt like this, ever."


	33. Chapter 33

**A big thank you to Lucinda Bright for this plot bunny. It was all her idea to be mean to poor Tom, not mine. (Honest!) **

**Actually - not strictly true. She gave me a tiny little plot bunny and I fed it and watered it until it grew into an enormous angsty plot rabbit. Sorry LB :)**

**I've struggled with this chapter. I know Gene is changing but he's still got all his old prejudice underneth it all. Alex is possible her own worst enemy in this chapter, but she's really torn between loyalties, to her job, her friendship and her realtionship with Gene. Not a straightforward choice for her.**

**Once again, thank you all for your lovely reviews. It makes it all worthwhile knowing that I'm sort of doing things right!**

By five o'clock, the following afternoon, Alex was still trying, unsuccessfully, to contact Tom. She'd interviewed all of the victims by now and a further five of them had identified him as a former lover, including Stephen Newark, who'd been beaten up on his way home from Tom's house in the early hours of the morning.

Alex was out of her mind with worry by now. She really didn't know what to think any more. In her heart she knew that Tom couldn't possibly be responsible for the attacks but she realised that this case wasn't about gut instinct, it was about the facts. They were all that anyone else would be interested in.

She still had no idea how to tell Gene either, and that worried her more than anything else. Shaz and Ellis were sworn to silence for now, but she knew that she couldn't ask them to keep quiet for ever. On two occasions, she'd stood outside his office, willing herself to go in and just get it over with, but part of her knew she was betraying Tom's trust, and her courage had failed her. Tom was one of the few friends that she had in her new life and she didn't want to lose him. When she'd spoken to him, found out what he had to say for himself, then she'd tell Gene. Surely he'd understand her position, he placed a high value on loyalty. Alex's head ached with worry of it all. She tried ringing Tom again – still no answer. Tomorrow, she thought. I'll tell Gene everything tomorrow.

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She and Gene went home, straight from work, just after half six. The CID room had been quiet, with only Chris and Ray left at their desks, both finishing off their paperwork. It was the end of January and funds were tight, so the majority of the team were all having early nights until pay day in a few days time. Alex cooked, Gene opened the wine and when they'd finished eating, they lit the fire in the sitting room and lay on the sofa, watching television.

Gene had been dozing for about an hour, and Alex knew that she really should get up and go to bed, but it was so comfortable where she was, tucked into the crook of his arm. When the phone rang at just after ten o'clock, shattering the peaceful silence, she knew it wasn't going to be good news.

"That you, Boss?" Chris's voice was crackly and distorted. "You need to come down here, pronto. We've got a dead body round the back of that club you were at yesterday. Looks like he's been beaten to death. You'd best hurry, Ma'am. It's pouring wi' rain and they want to move the body soon."

Shit, thought Alex, putting down the receiver. Outside the rain was hammering down and the last thing she wanted to do was go out. Gene appeared at the sitting room door.

"Serious?" he asked, his face grim.

"Yes. Possible murder victim at the back of the Wilde's. I need to go down there."

He sighed, coming into the hall and searching for his shoes. "I take it that this will all tie-in wi' your gay-boy beatings"

Alex was already pulling on her boots. She nodded, ignoring the phrase that he'd used. Telling him off about it only made him worse. He was so bloody childish sometimes.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, as he grabbed his coat. "You don't need to come with me."

"This could be a murder case now, Alex. I want to see for myself."

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Gene parked as close as he could to the alley where the body was, but they both still got soaking wet the second they got out of the car. A uniformed PC showed them through the cordon, to where Chris and Ray were standing, huddled into a doorway out of the worst of the weather. Gene joined them, hunching over to light a cigarette. Alex went over to where the body lay. The pathologist was just finishing and the police photographer was packing up his equipment.

"I want the photos on my desk tonight" Gene growled at him as he hurried past.

"Do my best, Sir" he replied, head tucked down into his chest against the rain.

The man lay sprawled on his back, his unseeing eyes staring up at nothing. He was handsome, apart from the livid burn across the left side of his face, his dark hair plastered to his skull by the pouring rain. For a heart-stopping instant, Alex thought it was Tom laying there. She turned her face upwards, letting the rain fall on her skin, pulling herself together. After a moment she felt calm enough to speak to the pathologist.

"Battery acid" Alex asked, indicating to the scar.

"Looks very likely. He's not been dead long. The body's still warm."

"Cause of death?"

"I can't be exactly sure, but I'd say the beating was so severe, it resulted in an injury that killed him. Could be anything, a head wound, internal bleeding, even a heart attack. We'll know more when we do the post mortem."

Alex nodded her thanks, walking back to Ray and Chris. "Any I.D. on him?"

Ray held up a wallet "Laurence Holt. Married, I think. He's wearing a ring and there's a picture of a bird here. Someone will 'ave to tell her that 'er old man's not only dead, but even worse, he was a faggot as well."

"We won't be sending you round to break the news then." Alex remarked tersely. "He was definitely drinking at the club?"

Chris nodded "Yep. He's got the door stamp on his hand and he had a half of coat ticket in his pocket." He held it up.

Gene had frowned at the mention of the victim's name, and stopped the stretcher as it was wheeled past. He pulled back the blanket covering Holt's face.

"Thought so" he announced "I've met 'im. He's a sport's journalist. Fletch introduced me to 'im at football once."

Alex closed her eyes in disbelief. She could feel the panic start to churn at her stomach.

"Nice bloke." Gene continued "Really knew 'is stuff. Never would have had 'im down as a shirt-lifter, though."

"Gene!" The panic made Alex snap sharply at him.

He glared at her "No, sorry. Not shirt-lifter... Queer. That's what we call them now, isn't it, Bolly? Or is there some other polite little word that we're all supposed to use these days?"

Alex said nothing, silently fuming, knowing that it was going to be a long and difficult night. How many times did she have to tell them all not to use language like that. None of them to took a blind bit of notice of her. Gene finished his cigarette and chucked the butt into a puddle.

"Right, let's go and interview the manager of the club. Maybe he saw if Holt left with anyone...Bolly, wi' me... Chris, Ray, you can go back to the station. Get your paperwork on this done, and then you can sod off home."

Alex's heart sank as they walked round to the front door of the club. She knew that now she would have no choice no but to reveal Tom's involvement to Gene. He looked up at the sign over the front door.

"Can't even bloody spell." he muttered.

Alex huffed in exasperation.

"It's not _wild_, as in untamed. It's _Wilde _as in "Oscar Wilde". He spelt his surname with an "e".

Gene started at her, uncomprehendingly.

"You know, Oscar Wilde. He wrote "The Ballard of Reading Gaol", "The Nightingale and the Rose", famously homosexual in a time when it was illegal."

"Do I look like the sort of bloke who reads books written by poofters?" he asked her, icily. "Christ Almighty, I don't even talk to them if I can possibly avoid it."

Alex closed her eyes in despair. Before she could speak, Gene had disappeared into the club. Alex hung back, desperately wishing that she wasn't involved. Once inside, she concentrated on taking the names of the other bar staff, asking them if they'd seen anything. Gene stood at the end of bar, firing questions at Simmons, his voice clipped, his body language aggressive. She could hear Simmons answering Gene, defensively.

"No, it's not just gay guys that drink here. We get a whole mix of clientèle. The bar's open every evening. The club's only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday."

Gene was being his usual tactful self, thought Alex. He said something else that she didn't catch and Simmons replied tersely. Again Gene asked a question and she heard Simmons's raised voice, the tone impatient and angry

"Yes, I'm sure he's a detective. I told your Inspector this already when she came to see me yesterday."

There was a long pause and Alex froze, dreading what was going to happen next.

"DI Drake!" Gene's voice was ominously low. "Here... Now!"

He was standing next to Simmons, his face a mask of barely contained rage. "Would you care to tell me how it was you were given this piece of information yesterday, and yet you still haven't informed me of this!"

He towered over her, his mouth set in a hard grimace. "I take it the man we're talking about is DCI Fletcher? There's no-one else fitting his description."

Alex swallowed nervously. "I'm still checking the facts myself. I haven't managed to get in contact with him yet."

Gene's gaze raked her from head to foot, coldly. "Right. Go and wait in the car, Alex."

"Gene, I.."

"Car, Alex! ……..Now!" She jumped as he roared at her.

"Yes Guv" she whispered.

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When he joined her half an hour later, he flung himself into the Quattro, still talking on his radio. "Put him in my office for now Ray, not the interview room. I'll be there in less than ten minutes."

He slammed the car into gear, accelerating away hard. He didn't look at her, or speak to her all the way back to the station. As they pulled up outside, he turned and spoke harshly, the anger still clear on his face.

"You better have a bloody good explanation for this, Alex. God knows how he ended up getting involved with beating up queers, but Fletch is a friend as well as a colleague and you should have told me."

He was out of the car before she could reply. She leaned forward, resting her head on the dashboard, letting out a deep breath. She still couldn't tell him, she didn't know how to. Part of her marvelled at the fact that even now he could be so bloody obtuse. The evidence was staring him in the face and he still thought that Tom was a straight guy with a violent little hobby. Alex dug her hands into her hair and yelled in frustration. Everything, absolutely everything was about to go spectacularly wrong and there was nothing she could do. Shaking with nerves, she got out of the car and went to find him.

Gene was in one of the interview rooms, with a pile of all the case files and notes that Alex had made yesterday. He hadn't opened any of the files yet by the looks of things, judged Alex.

"Photos" he snapped "I need the photos of all the victims to show DCI Fletcher. The photographer's already developed the scene of crime shots. He's sending them up. I'll read your notes later."

She flicked through the files , pulling out the photographs. "When will you interview him?"

He looked at her in surprise. "He's in my office now, Alex. I had Ray and Chris fetch him down here."

Alex looked at him in shock. This was all moving far quicker than she'd imagined.

"Don't say a word" he ordered as she went to speak. "I don't want bloody excuses. You can't just decide not to tell me things. I'm your senior officer!" He leaned back against the table, arms folded defensively. "Go and make the tea, Alex, before I really lose my temper."

She started to object and he slammed his fist down on the table.

"Don't you bloody DARE get all hoity toity with me! You've pissed me off big time with this! It's late, I'm soaking wet and freezing cold! Now bugger off and make me some bloody tea!"

Alex gritted her teeth and left the room. She didn't want to have the fight that she knew was inevitable, at the station. She made the tea slowly, giving them both time to calm down. He was right. She should have told him about Tom knowing the victims. Gene was her DCI. It was that fact that mattered most of all, more than their relationship, more than Tom's friendship. She'd made a serious error of judgement. However, Tom's sexuality was another matter entirely. However torn she was on the subject, it wasn't her secret to tell. She'd been over and over it in her mind, and she knew that she could never say anything without consulting Tom first. Where the bloody hell had he been for the last two days? If only she'd ben able to speak him, this might have all been sorted out by now. Alex leaned against the kitchen worktop. The whole thing was a mess and it was ony going to get worse.

"Time to face the music" she whispered to herself, walking slowly back through the office.

Gene was waiting for her by her desk, holding the newly developed scene of crime photos . "Ready?" She nodded. "Right. I'll do the talking. You sit there, shut up, and listen. I've sent Ray and Chris home. No point involving more people in this than we need to for the moment. I want this sorted out quickly and quietly, Alex."

Tom was standing by the window, staring out at the rain. Dressed in jeans and a jumper he looked younger than ever, the authority that his suit lent him stripped away by his casual clothes. Gene indicated for him to sit down, and he did so, looking puzzled and wary.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking from one to other. Alex could hardly meet his eyes.

"I need to ask you some questions in connection with a number of attacks, Tom." Gene's tone was measured, as he sat down on the edge of his desk by Tom's chair. "This isn't a formal interview and you haven't been cautioned."

Tom's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Lexi! What's going on?"

"Please Tom. Just answer his questions." She looked at him beseechingly, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation.

"Do you know any of these men?" Gene held the photographs up, one by one, before placing them on his desk. Tom nodded as he registered each of the images.

"Yes. Yes I do. That's Stuart. That's Matt. I don't this guy's name but I know him, and him." He went through the rest, confirming that he knew each one of them.

Gene's jaw tightened and Alex saw a muscle jump in his cheek. "All these men have been beaten-up and burnt with battery acid. DI Drake is of the opinion it's because they're all queer-boys, and I'm beginning to agree with her. What I want to know is, Fletcher, how are you involved in all this? Does it give you a kick to give them a kicking?"

Tom looked at him in bewildered horror. "No! Why on earth would I want to do something like that?"

Gene shrugged. "I don't know, Tom. You tell me. I'm sure our pet shrink here will have a plausible explanation." He gave Alex a look that quite clearly told her to remain silent.

"Where were you on the night of November 30th last year? And on the night of October 15th ? October 27th? September 19th? January 5th this year?" Gene fired the dates at him, watching Tom closely.

"I've had enough of this. This is ridiculous!" Tom stood up "It's late and I'm going back home. I've got work in the morning."

Gene moved to block the door of his office. "You not going anywhere until we've sorted this out" he hissed softly, his voice dripping with menace. "I repeat, where were you on the night..."

Tom went to push past him, angrily "I can't remember! This has nothing to do with me. Out of my way, Gene!"

Without warning Gene's hand shot out and grabbed Tom's arm, forcing it up behind his back, making him cry out in pain. He tried to twist away but Gene was far too strong and far too experienced. He pushed Tom hard against the wall, leaning forward against him until his mouth was level with Tom's ear.

"_I'll_ tell you when you can leave! This is serious Fletcher. I'm not pissing about now. I mean it. So sit down, and start bloody TALKING!"

He shoved Tom roughly, back towards the chair. Alex stood in the corner of the office, arms wrapped tightly across her chest, frozen to the spot by the viciousness in Gene's face.

Tom sat down again, giving her a look filled with fear and desperation. "Make him stop this, please" His voice cracked and he reminded Alex of a scared little boy.

Alex shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't. This is serious Tom." she whispered.

Gene placed several other photographs in front of him. They were all of Laurence Holt's chest. The bruises showed vividly and in one of them, the imprint of a boot's sole was clearly visible, stamped into the flesh.

"Do you know a man named Laurence Holt?"

Tom frowned "Come off it, Gene. You know I do. I introduced you to him!"

Gene tapped the pictures. "These pictures are of the injuries he sustained earlier this evening. He was attacked and viciously beaten outside Wilde's, on Old Street."

Tom's face drained of colour and he stared at Gene in horror. "Is he…….? He's OK... isn't he?"

He could hardly get the words out and Alex felt her throat close over with grief. She knew what was coming next and her heart ached for Tom and the pain that Gene was about to brutally inflict on him. Gene continued to speak, his voice cold and distant.

"I've just been told by the pathologist, that on initial examination, Laurence Holt was kicked so hard, most of his ribs shattered. That more than likely, his spleen burst and his lungs punctured. He drowned in his own blood."

Tom started to shake. "I'm going to be sick" he whispered, and Alex grabbed the waste paper bin quickly, shoving it into his hands. He threw up several times, his whole body trembling, his breath heaving in his chest. Alex knelt beside him, rubbing his back.

"Sit down, DI Drake!" rasped Gene. He hadn't moved, watching Tom expressionlessly, arms folded.

Alex stood up and poured out a measure of Gene's whisky. She handed it to Tom, head held high in challenge, eyes narrowed at Gene. He remained silent, waiting until Tom had taken a drink, then continuing to speak to him calmly.

"Laurence Holt is dead and I think you killed him." He stared into Tom's eyes, watching his reaction "I think that you killed him because he tried it on with you. I think that you beat up all these men, because you have a particular dislike of homosexuals."

He paused, watching as Tom shuddered uncontrollably, barely able to hold the glass. Gene took it away from him and placed it on his desk, leaning close to Tom's face, his tone conversational at first.

"I don't know what kind of sick little game you're playing but, you can't really go this far and kill them. People start to notice stuff like this, Fletcher." He brought his fist down hard on the desk beside Tom, making the glass jump, and the whisky slop out onto the desk top. "You should know better!" he roared. "You're a bloody copper, for Christ's sake!"

Tom struggled to breathe, his reply emerging as a series of jerky whispers."That's the problem... being a copper ... I can't be who I really am." He gazed at Gene with a look of haunted sorrow. "I can tell where I was on some of the evenings,...but it'll change the way you think of me...everything will change."

Gene snorted in derision "Can't be much worse than thinking you've kicked some faggot to death."

Tom looked over at Alex, his face ghostly pale.

"He really doesn't know, does he Lexi? You've never told him." He gave her a shaky smile, his eyes bright with tears.

"No. I couldn't do that to you." She smiled back at him, her face full of tender sadness.

"Haven't told me what?" Gene looked from one to other of them, his whole body clenched with sudden anger, sensing their closeness, but not understanding it, only knowing that he was excluded in some way. "Alex?" he hissed softly, his eyes narrowed. Alex could see the pain on his face, as he instantly jumped to the conclusion that she'd been unfaithful to him. All his insecurities were surging to the forefront of his mind, swamping all rational thought. His face twisted with jealous rage.

"ALEX!" His bellow shook the glass in the walls of his office. "What do you know about DCI Fletcher that I don't? What's been going on between the two of you? All these little secrets! I always thought there was more than met the bloody eye to your friendship!"

She'd forgotten the sheer brute force of Gene's temper. How utterly menacing he could be when he cast off his civilised facade and gave in to the savage side of him that was always there, just underneath the surface. She had to stop this now or lose everything. She flicked a glance at Tom.

"Tell him, Alex. I can't."

"Jesus Christ, Alex! Just fucking say it!" roared Gene in fury "Put me out of my misery! Tell me just how fucking stupid I've been!" His expression was murderous, his hands clenched into fists.

"Tom's gay." Alex looked Gene full in the face. "He's gay. Laurence Holt was his boyfriend. The other men were too." She let out a deep breath. "That's what you didn't know. That's the secret."

Gene looked at her in stunned disbelief. "He's what?" She could hear the disgust in his voice.

Alex felt her own anger surge through her. Gene had frightened her a moment ago and now she went on the attack, embracing her temper, letting it make her to feel strong again. "He's gay! How many bloody times do want me to say it! Tom's gay! Happy now!"

"No, I'm not bloody happy! How could you know something like this and not tell me!"

"It's no-one's business, but Tom's! He asked me not to say anything and part of having friends is being loyal to them! It's not my place to tell anyone else! Does it really matter, anyway?"

"Does it mater?" Gene voice rose into a roar again. "Of course it bloody matters! You knew and I didn't! I went to football with him!"

Rage boiled through her at his words, at the casual, insulting ignorance of his attitude.

"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE! You can't _catch_ it, Gene! Going to football with Tom is not going to make you gay!" She looked him up and down, shaking her head in disgust "This is Tom we're talking about! The man who helped you look for me in Waltham's club! The man who gave evidence with us to get DCI Marsh demoted to Detective Inspector!"

She marched across the office towards him, shaking with fury. "You see that scar on his face? That was meant for you, Gene, or have you forgotten that! He stepped in front of you, because apparently, you're his mate! Great way of showing it! You're pathetic!"

Gene squared up to her. His eyes burned into hers, flat and hard, with no hint of the softness that she was so used to seeing in them. "And you... are a secretive... conniving...lying... bitch!" he hissed back.

They stood there, inches apart, seething. Alex couldn't believe they'd regressed quite so far, so fast. If she thought about the implications of it too much, she knew she would start to cry. Underneath the anger, there was fear, sheer panic at how quickly things were falling apart. She caught an echo of her feelings in his gaze, but was too caught in up in her own rage to stop herself. She narrowed her eyes and thrust her face nearer to his, hissing though her teeth.

"You called me a bitch before, Gene, and I punched you! Want me to do it again?"

"You do, and I won't be such a bloody gentleman about it this time!" His eyes were dark with fury, his face twisted into a wolfish snarl. " Maybe you need a bloody good slap to remind you of where your priorities should lie!"

"ENOUGH!" Tom's shout rang through the office, his voice raw with anguish. "Please! Just stop."

He sagged back into his chair, holding his head in his hands. "This is bad enough, without the two of you tearing each other apart." Drawing in a deep breath, he addressed Gene, his voice clipped, clearly forcing himself to speak calmly.

"DCI Hunt, for the record, I didn't kill Laurence Holt, nor did I have anything to do with the other attacks. I can provide alibis for some of them. You haven't even charged me yet. If you choose to do so, I want to be properly interviewed and I'd like a solicitor present."

He turned to Alex. "DI Drake. I thank you for your discretion concerning my private life but I think this is causing too much tension between yourself and your senior officer. I'd like to request that you aren't present when I'm interviewed by DCI Hunt." He smiled bleakly. "Sorry Lexi. It's for your own good."

Gene pushed his mouth forward into a pout as he considered what Tom had to say.

"Who would you recommend to sit in on the interview, DI Drake?" he asked, tersely, unable to look at her.

"DC Ellis. He knows the background on the case." Alex dug her nails into her palms to stop herself crying, struggling to keep her voice steady.

Gene looked up at Tom. "We'll do it in the morning when we've all calmed down. Drake, go and tell Sergeant Morris that I have a prisoner for the cells."

Alex saw Tom's shoulders sag in despair. She met Gene's gaze and saw the hurt and fury that still lurked in his eyes. She left the room without a word as Gene began to caution Fletcher.

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When Gene reached the cells with Tom, Alex was standing outside in the corridor with a couple of blankets in her arms. Sergeant Morris opened the door of the first cell and stood back. Tom hesitated and Gene drew himself up, clearly ready for another argument. Tom dropped his head in defeat as he stepped through the door, and Alex followed him, turning to smile at the custody sergeant.

"Thanks, George. Maybe if it's a quiet night, you'll bring us a cup of tea?"

Gene looked nonplussed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm staying here with Tom."

"Why?" Gene's face was a picture of disgusted disbelief.

Alex stared at him, her face hard. "Put it this way. I don't trust DCI Fletcher not to fall down a flight of stairs in the wee, small hours of the morning. I'm just here to make sure he doesn't become clumsy"

Gene held her gaze for a moment, and then shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

"So that's how it's going to be... Fine... Do what you want, Alex. I'll see you in the morning."

He turned away, the cell door swung shut and she felt the tears start to spill over onto her cheeks.


	34. Chapter 34

As the sound of Gene's footsteps faded away up the corridor, Alex took a few deep breaths, struggling to remain calm for Tom's sake.

"That went well. Nice one, Alex. In total control of the situation as usual" she muttered sarcastically, wiping the tears away.

She swallowed painfully , a lump in her throat, her ribs aching with the tension of the last couple of hours. Turning away from the firmly locked cell door, she sat down on the narrow bench next to Tom, wrapping one of the blankets round his shoulders. The cells were always freezing and he was shivering with a combination of cold and shock.

"Why are you doing this for me Lexi?" he asked her, so quietly she could hardly hear him.

"Oh, you know. All those silly little things like friendship, loyalty, a sense of fair play. Not wanting to see you beaten to a pulp when I come into work tomorrow morning. Take your pick."

"You really think Gene's going to do something stupid then? Does he hate me that much?"

Alex shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I'd like to think he knows that's not the way things are done any more. I'm not sure about anyone else, though so I couldn't just go home and leave you. Not like this." She dropped her head into her hands with a sigh. "If he hates anyone, it's me. I've made him feel stupid. From Gene's point of view, I'm "his", so without question, my first loyalty should always be to him."

"And it wasn't. God, Lexi, I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'm not sure I do." She laughed wildly. "Anyway, can't get much worse, can it? He virtually accused me of being unfaithful, and I threatened to punch him again."

Tom smiled weakly. "Have you really punched him before?"

Alex nodded. "Yep. Really hard. In front of Ray and Chris too. We were arguing about prostitutes and how you shouldn't judge people because of what they are. That we should always remember there's an individual underneath the labels that we put on people." She paused, as the irony of her words hit home. "Obviously, he's paid no bloody attention at all, or we wouldn't both be sitting here now."

She felt Tom start to shake beside her and realised that he was crying, huge silent sobs that raked his whole body. She wrapped her arms round him and pulled him close, resting her head back against the wall. She said nothing, knowing there was nothing that would comfort him. Eventually he curled up on the bench, his head resting on her lap. She stroked his hair gently as he cried.

She sat with him, for what seemed to be hours, feeling numb inside. She felt like crying herself but knew that she had to remain strong for Tom. Compared to what he was going through, her argument with Gene was nothing. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do and anyway, it would all depend on Gene and his willingness to talk things over. Despite his appalling behaviour, she couldn't blame him for the way he'd reacted, either. Men of his generation were conditioned to view men like Tom with contempt and fear. She was looking at the situation through modern eyes and however much she wished it was different, the stark truth was that she was in the 1980's, with all the relevant prejudices and fears that went with that time.

"I got so angry I forgot where I am." she said to herself softly. "Things are different here. Why the bloody hell did I have to go and shout back at him?"

"Self preservation" mumbled Tom, his head still pillowed on her knees.

"I should have kept things nice and calm. He was scared and I should have seen how bloody insecure he really is underneath it all."

Tom snorted. "He does a damn good job of hiding it. He looks anything but insecure when he shouts like that."

"I'm so sorry that he did that to you. I can't imagine how you felt, being told that Laurence was dead like that. I should have tried to stop him."

"It's OK... I knew he was dead when I saw the photos. I've seen enough murder victims over the years. It just didn't sink in….. still hasn't. Who would want to kill Laurence?" Alex felt him tense and he reached up, grabbing her hand in his. "Sarah….. she doesn't know…… Oh my God. They'll tell her!"

"I take that Sarah is Laurence's wife"

Tom nodded and sat up, rubbing a hand across his face, wiping away the tears. "Yes. She has no idea about any of this. God, I hope they break it to her gently. She really doesn't deserve to find out this way. She's lovely" he laughed mirthlessly. "That sounds totally mad, doesn't it?

Alex smiled "No…..well, yes it does actually. Want to tell me about it?"

Tom gave another bitter laugh. "I'm going to have to talk about it all at some point, so I may as well start now…. It's that old story of two's company, three's a crowd. Laurence, Sarah and I all grew up together. I've always known I was gay and Laurie knew he was too, but we were both petrified of being found out, so our relationship was a huge secret. When we'd finished school, Laurie and Sarah both went off to Oxford to read English and I joined the Met.

When Laurie graduated and moved to London, we shared a flat together. Everything was OK for a year or two, until Laurie's mother started nagging him about girlfriends, why didn't he have one, why was he spending all his time with me? I think she'd always been suspicious of us both. Anyway, Laurie went home for a couple weeks to visit his Father who was ill, and when he came back, he announced that he'd asked Sarah to marry him."

Alex watched as he struggled with the memory of it all. "Why?"

Tom looked lost. "I really don't know. Wanted to make Mummy and Daddy happy, I suppose. It certainly didn't make him happy, nor did it stop him seeing me. I was their best man. He made sure Sarah got so drunk at the wedding reception that he didn't have to shag her. He spent the night with me instead. How surreal and twisted is that?

Ultimately, Sarah and I were the same really. Both putting up with Laurie's selfishness, both waiting for him to make up his bloody mind what he wanted. She wanted children and he kept putting it off. I wanted him to chose one way or the other who he really was. It all got horribly messy over the last year or so. I tried to end it a couple of times, told him I was seeing other people, but Laurie was impossible to refuse."

"Did you love him?" Alex asked softly.

"Oh God Alex, I really don't know any more. We'd known each other for so long. I used to think I did, but recently it wasn't so much about love, more of a mutual need. An addiction, if you like. We knew it was destroying us both, but we were unable to give each other up."

"And the other men? The ones that were also attacked. They were an attempt to forget Laurence?

"Yes. Not very successfully though………. I want some one special, Lexi. I want something like you and Gene have, but I just haven't found it yet."

Alex sighed "Trust me. Even when you do find it, there's no guarantee it's going to work. I've really messed things up with Gene tonight. I honestly thought he was slowly changing for the better, Tom, but evidently he's not as different as I thought. It's not his fault though."

She looked at Tom anxiously. "That sounds awful, me saying that after he's behaved so badly towards you, but he honestly doesn't know any other way to be. I've just made it all worse really, by standing up for you, but I couldn't let him get away with being so bloody bigoted. "

Tom leaned forward, taking her hands in his again, his face resolute.

"Listen Alex, you should go. Go home, try and make it up with Gene if he lets you. You shouldn't be here. It's wonderful that you want to try and protect me, but it's not going to do me any good in the long run. Not that I'm not grateful. I am….really grateful. You've risked everything for me."

She frowned at him, not understanding what he was telling her.

"Lexi, when this gets out, every officer in this station is going to know I'm gay. Then my team at Collier Street will find out, and so will everyone else, eventually. It's bad enough them all knowing about me, without them also saying that I hid behind a female officer so I didn't get, in their undoubted opinion, the kicking I so richly deserve. I've been a copper long enough to know how this all works. I just have to get on with it. "

The keys rattled in the lock, making them both jump, and the cell door swung open. Alex looked up, her expression becoming one of surprise and fear as she saw Gene standing in the doorway. He regarded them both silently for a moment, his eyes dark and hooded.

"I'm releasing DCI Fletcher without charge, provided he agrees to return in the morning to be interviewed." He spoke tersely, eyes to the floor, waiting for their reaction.

"Thank you" said Alex quietly. She wanted to go to him and apologise, wrap her arms around him and show him bitterly sorry she was about the whole situation, but she just couldn't. She knew from the fierce set of his head and the tension in his stance that he would push her away, unable to forgive her yet for the fear and doubt she'd caused him earlier that evening.

Gene nodded curtly and looked past her at Tom. "You're in no fit state to go home on your own, so I want DI Drake to stay with you. I'll be waiting in the car for you both when you've signed out." He turned and walked away quickly without waiting for an answer.

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The journey through the rain-slicked, sparsely populated streets was tense and silent, Gene concentrating fiercely on his driving, Alex and Tom still too wary of his temper to risk speaking. Alex sat nervously beside Gene, intensely aware of the anger that still emanated from him. He drove as though he were alone in the car, smoking furiously, the window down, despite the rain and the cold, to clear the smoke. Alex shivered in the chilly draught, but he made no move to shut the window, lighting yet another cigarette from the still-smouldering butt of his previous one.

Tom lived just off Clerkenwell Road in a quiet street lined with old warehouses and a terrace of narrow Georgian brick and flint houses. Gene pulled the car to a halt outside one of the warehouses and Alex got out, waiting as Tom searched in his coat pocket for his keys. Gene was still silent but as she moved to shut the car door, he leaned across the passenger seat and cleared his throat. "A word please, Alex."

She re-took her seat in the Quattro with trepidation, worried about what Gene was going to say to her. He said nothing at first, frowning in fierce concentration as he adjusted the straps on his leather gloves.

"I'm sorry," she offered, as he made no move to speak. "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that, but you frightened me. I didn't expect you to be quite so…." She paused, not wanting to use the word "vicious".

"Nasty?" Gene supplied, bitterly. He stared straight ahead, seemingly fascinated by the pouring rain sparkling in the Quattro's headlights.

She nodded, equally fascinated by her fingers, twisting the fringe of her scarf, round and round.

"I'm good at nasty. It's all the other stuff I have trouble with... Look….. I've read your notes and Fletcher's not a suspect any more as far as I'm concerned. On two of the dates in question he was at football wi' me anyway." He gave her an quick, angry glance. "I'm still bloody angry wi' you Alex. I can't even begin to tell you how much you've pissed me off, but I need to find out exactly what's going on wi' this case first and sort it out... After that we can try to sort out us….OK?"

Alex nodded, relieved that he'd used the word "us"

"Is that why you've let Tom go? Because of my interview notes?" she asked him, hesitantly.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Partly. That, and other stuff …… I was accused of murder once. I almost believed it myself for a moment. I was drunk enough and the bastard deserved it….. Anyhow, Sam didn't jump to the conclusions that everyone else did. He stood by me and sorted it out. Whatever else he might be, Tom Fletcher's a good copper, he doesn't deserve to have his career ruined... and you're right, Alex. I owe him one.

I'll interview Tom tomorrow morning, properly, with DC Ellis. Ray and Chris don't know anything more than possibly, Fletcher could have beaten up Holt. I'll have a word with Shaz and Ellis and make sure the real truth doesn't go any further than them." He sighed deeply, speaking quietly but firmly. "Stay out of my way for the next few days, Alex. Don't come in to work. You're a distraction I don't need right now. I want to be on my own, at work and at home."

She opened her mouth to argue with him and he glared at her fiercely.

"Any hint of this little fiasco reaches the Super, and you and I _will_ be transferred. He wasn't pissing around when he gave us that warning Alex, and I am _not_ going to start again in another city, with another team. I don't have it in me any more, and more importantly, I don't want to, so just do me a bloody favour, say "Yes Gene" and shut up," he growled

Alex clenched her hands into fists under the scarf fringe and let out a deep breath.

"Yes Gene" she whispered.

He nodded grimly. "Good."

She opened the car door, gathering all her courage to do what she did next. Leaning over she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"'Night. Sleep well"

He sat still, staring resolutely ahead. "You too" he replied gruffly.

Alex stood in the rain and watched as he drove away, not following Tom inside until the Quattro's tail lights had disappeared around the corner.

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As she stepped through the front door of the warehouse, Alex was surprised and slightly confused to find herself in a photographer's studio. Tom was unlocking another door to a staircase just in front of them.

"I do live here, honest. I rent out the first two floors to bring in some money while I do the rest of it up." He started to climb the steep stairs. "Come up. It's a bit cosier up here. Not much though. I need to get myself some more furniture. All my money's gone on re-wiring and plumbing."

Reaching the third floor which opened out into one large room, he flung his coat onto the coat stand near the stairs.

"I'm exhausted," he told her, the dark shadows showing clearly under his eyes. "Would you mind if we just went to sleep. It's nearly two in the morning, and I can't face talking about anything now. You can have the spare room. I'll find you a spare pair of pyjamas to sleep in."

Alex nodded. "Thanks." He turned to go and she spoke hurriedly, needing to let him know what Gene had said. "Tom…… I don't know what's made Gene do this, but he's not going to tell anyone about you. That's what he wanted to talk to me about, just now. He wants to keep it all quiet. He knows full well that it would ruin your career if all this became common knowledge"

Tom closed his eyes, letting out a ragged breath. "So there is a heart underneath that stony exterior," he whispered.

"Somewhere" Alex agreed. "He just keeps it well hidden. He's told me to stay away from him," she continued, brokenly. "Can I stay with you please Tom?"

Tom smiled wanly. "Of course. We can be outcasts from the wrath of Gene Hunt together, Lexi."

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The small spare bedroom was painted white and contained only a double bed and row of hooks for her clothes, but it was warm and the bed was very comfortable. She was convinced that she wouldn't be able to sleep without Gene beside her, but she was very wrong, waking from a deep sleep at just gone ten the next morning.

She pulled on a dark blue dressing gown that she discovered hanging behind her bathroom door and went downstairs to find that Tom had already left for Fenchurch East. There was a note stuck to the fridge

"_Didn't want to wake you. Am better facing this on my own anyway. Spare keys on table if you need to go out. Make yourself at home. Tom x"_

She made herself a mug of tea and decided to walk home to Noel Road for a much-needed shower and a change of clothes. The journey took her less than half an hour, working her way through the residential streets between St John's Street and City Road. The day was sharp and crisp, and ordinarily, Alex would have enjoyed the walk, but today she was weighed down with worry for Tom and for herself. Her only glimpse of hope was that Gene seemed to have got over his blind rage and was maybe thinking about things rationally.

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The house was silent and smelt strongly of Gene's cigars. Downstairs, the kitchen was neat and tidy with no evidence that Gene had eaten breakfast before leaving for work. Alex smiled to herself, finding it somehow amusing that even though her relationship hung by a thread, she could still find the time to fret about Gene being hungry.

In the sitting room, by the sofa, she found an empty bottle of whisky, which she knew, had been almost two-thirds full. Evidently, Gene had drowned his sorrows. Probably slept on the sofa all night too, she thought, noting the crumpled woollen throw that had been dragged from its place on the back of the sofa.

Going upstairs into their bedroom, her suspicions were confirmed by the immaculately made bed, the pillows still plump and the cushions still sitting neatly against them. When Gene made the bed, he chucked them on any old how, muttering darkly about "bloody stupid girly nonsense."

Alex showered quickly, the bathroom still warm and fuggy, dense with the scent of Gene's aftershave. She breathed it in wistfully, missing him desperately and trying hard not to think about how long he intended to be on his own.

Back at Tom's later that afternoon, having eaten a solitary lunch in a café on Upper Street, she prowled around, browsing through Tom's book collection and exploring the warehouse. There were only one or two rooms on each of the floors. Tom's living space was one huge room, with big glass doors opening out onto a roof terrace, the next two floors were narrower with a bedroom and bathroom on each of them and the last was an attic, light and airy with huge windows and glass skylights in the roof.

Alex put the radio on and curled up with a book, on the sofa in the attic room. It was nearly four o'clock by now and she was worried about what may be happening to Tom. She had no idea how Gene was going to deal with his revelations, or her behaviour and the uncertainty was almost unbearable. She let her mind drift, forcing herself not to think about Gene, watching the London darkening skyline and waiting for Tom return.

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At half five the door slammed downstairs and she heard Tom's voice calling her. She made her way down to join him in the main living room, watching silently as he opened a bottle of wine and poured them both a huge glass. He looked pale and drawn but not quite so shell-shocked as he had last night.

"How did the interview go? I hope that Gene was at the very least civil to you."

Tom grimaced. "He was, but he wasn't at all happy. DC Ellis did most of the talking. Gene just sat there and pouted. I spent most of the afternoon with Ellis trying find another reason for the attacks, but there's nothing obvious. Somehow they're all linked to me, but I have no idea why."

He folded his arms over his chest protectively, leaning back against the kitchen worktop.

"It's true what he said to you last night. No-one else knows. I've got alibis for seven of the attacks, I was at work when three of them took place and Gene was good enough to point out that I was at football with him on two occasions. At least I'm not in the frame any more."

He shuddered. "Enough of this. I don't want to talk about it any more, Lexi. I can't. If I don't think about it too much, I can just about hold myself together. I had my weak and pathetic "gay-boy" moment in the cells last night, and now it's over. Laurence is gone and there's nothing I can do about it. I just want to concentrate on finding out who's really responsible."

"It shouldn't be like this though" Alex reached out to touch his arm. "You can't just live your life not talking about things. Pretending they didn't happen."

Tom looked at her bleakly "Why not? It's how I've managed to survive so far. My life has two separate parts to it and I'm never going to be able to truly be myself in either of them. It's not a great way to live, but I'm used to it. I joined the police force, knowing that there would have to be certain rules that I lived by, and I just have to get on with it. I can go to Laurence's funeral, I can get roaring drunk down the pub with my team afterwards, but I can never, ever, let anyone know how I really feel. It's just the way things work."

Pensively, he stared into space for a moment, then gave her a sad smile. "You know, I don't even blame Gene for behaving the way he did last night. You were right when you said that he can't help it. That's the only way he knows to deal with men like me. We scare men like him. He might pretend it's not the case but that's the ultimate truth of it."

Alex could think of nothing to say that would counter his argument. Every word he'd just said was sadly true and she could do nothing to change the situation he found himself in. She knew that he wouldn't talk to her about Laurence again. He'd just shut it all away inside and carry on as if nothing had happened. You can't blame him, she told herself, sadly. That's his way of coping. She smiled wryly at the secret that she could never tell anyone else for fear of them thinking her insane. It didn't really compare with the loneliness of Tom's double life but it gave her some insight into how he felt. Always an outsider even when you tried your best to fit in. At least she had Gene to share her life with, if he ever decided to talk to her again. Tom had nobody now.

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To distract themselves from their miserable thoughts, they watched television until the early evening when they both realised that they were starving hungry.

"When this programme's finished, we're going out for a curry," announced Tom firmly.

Alex nodded her agreement, as she sat curled up in an armchair, willing the phone to ring. She was longing for Gene to call and ask her to come home, it physically hurt to be away from him for this long. When the doorbell went, she shot up out of her seat, making Tom jump. Grumbling, he went downstairs to see who it was and she heard him calling up to her.

"Lexi! It's DC Ellis with some stuff for you." Alex frowned, and went down to see for herself. Peter Ellis was standing just inside the front door, holding what Alex recognised as Gene's leather overnight bag, and looking embarrassed.

"Evening Ma'am. Sorry to interrupt your evening. The Guv told me to give you this. It's some of your clothes and things. He said you'd need them as you were staying with DCI Fletcher for a while."

Alex forced herself to smile "Yes, that's right, I am. Thanks Peter." She'd deliberately not taken any of her things with her from the house that morning, in the hope that she'd be returning later, but it would appear that Gene still had other ideas.

Ellis blushed, unable to meet her eyes. Instead he gestured to the doorstep. "There are flowers out here, did you know? Looks like some sort of wreath."

Tom looked puzzled. "Really? They weren't there earlier when I came home."

Peter Ellis bent down and picked them up from the doorstep, handing them to Tom, whose face became pale when he saw what it was. It was a funeral wreath of tightly packed white carnations. There was a card wired into the flowers and Tom read it to them both with a shocked expression.

"_Sorry for your loss. You can be mine now._" He put the wreath down hurriedly on a nearly table.

Alex shivered. "Tom, that's really creepy. Don't touch it any more. Peter, can you take this back to the station and leave it in the Guv's office? I don't want it going into the evidence room. I'll make sure it's wrapped up, but please make sure you let him know about it this evening."

Ellis nodded and then stopped, concerned. "I can't let the Guv know tonight Ma'am. He told me he was going out with Ray to The…." He tailed off, suddenly remembering it was the Guv's missus he was talking to.

"Royal Oak?" finished Alex.

He nodded "Yes Ma'am. I'm sure he's just gone for a drink….." he tailed off again, knowing that he wasn't convincing her at all.

"Well, DCI Hunt lives very much by his own rules in this world, Peter." replied Alex firmly, squashing down the utter desolation that she felt. "Whatever he gets up to, I'm sure he'll have an very interesting evening. Now, let's get this nasty little floral display wrapped up, and back to the station.

Tom returned from upstairs with a black dustbin liner and Ellis carefully wrapped it round the wreath.

"Right, I'll be off then. See you tomorrow Ma'am."

"Possibly Peter. I'm not sure yet. It depends on the Guv."

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Alex watched Tom carefully as he found his door keys and coat, convinced he'd be unsettled by the unexpected, and frankly sinister gift. He caught her anxious glance and laughed.

"Stop it! I'm fine! I'm not going to dissolve into a hysterical, shrieking mess because someone's sent me some creepy flowers. I might be gay but I can cope with a bit a drama." He pulled his mouth into a camp grimace. "Mind you,….. carnations,…… urgh... How passé. We're obviously not dealing with a man of style and taste here."

She stared at him in horrified surprise. "Tom! This is serious. You shouldn't make jokes about it."

He shrugged. "Why not? It's the only way I know. Come off it, Lexi, I'm a copper. We all have an inappropriately dark sense of humour. It's the only thing that gets us through the day sometimes." He grinned at her, a trace of his old self visible once more. "Now get your bloody coat on and shut up."

Alex raised an eyebrow, giving up and joining in his game. "Well! Spending all day with DCI Hunt hasn't improved your manners, Tom Fletcher!"

They walked to Upper Street as Alex had suggested the Taj Mahal, near Islington Green. It was Gene's favourite, and he'd told her it was almost as good as some of the places that he and Sam had used to frequent back in Manchester.

Alex went to push open the door of the restaurant, turning to speak over her shoulder to Tom as she did so. Before she could reach it, Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Sorry. We can't eat here tonight. Some else has got there before us." He pulled her back onto the street, where they could stand and look through the windows, without anyone from inside seeing them.

"What are you on about?" she asked, tetchily. She was both cold and ravenous by now.

Tom pointed through the window. "Look. The Royal Oak wasn't so attractive after all."

Following his outstretched arm, she saw Gene sitting at their usual table, wolfing down a huge plate of curry. Alex's eyes widened in disbelief, as he looked up and smiled at his companion, pouring her more wine as he did so.

A huge smile spread across her face as she watched Rosalind nod in response to a question from Gene. He began to talk rapidly with great emotion, waving his fork around in the air for emphasis. Alex saw Ros reach out and gently remove the offending item of cutlery from his grasp. Gene didn't even pause for breath, until Ros shook her head emphatically, speaking firmly to him, tapping a finger on the table to illustrate her point. Gene hung his head, as if ashamed, and said nothing, clearly listening intently to her.

Alex turned away, her heart aching for him, yet strangely comforted by the sight of Gene obviously having a heartfelt conversation with their older, and infinitely wiser, friend.

"OK, so no curry tonight then. Italian?" she suggested.

"Perfect" said Tom. "I know just the place. The food's great and the waiters wear very tight trousers."

"Good God, Tom. Don't you ever stop?"

He gave her a little-boy-lost smile. "No. It's part of my irrepressible charm. I just carry on regardless."


	35. Chapter 35

After a second night in Tom's comfortable spare bed, Alex was up and dressed in time to have breakfast with him before he left for Collier Street. He had a meeting with both his Superintendent, and Gene that morning to discuss the case. He and Alex had both avoided the subject during dinner the previous evening, instead concentrating on Alex and her misgivings about continuing to both work, and live, with Gene.

Now Tom paced around the kitchen, nervously sipping his coffee. Alex said nothing, knowing she couldn't make him feel any better. "Do you want my toast?" he asked her with a panicky smile. "I'm not going to eat it. I can't. I'm terrified that we're going to get in there and Gene's going to tell him about me. I know he said he wouldn't but.." He shrugged and shook his head. "I just can't be sure that he'll keep his promise. I want to believe him, but it's difficult…. Sorry. It's not fair of me to say that about him to you."

Alex sighed. "For what it's worth, Gene's a very honourable man, in his own illogical way. If he's said he'll keep your secret then he will. I do understand your misgivings though."

Tom threw his toast into the bin and found his car keys. "Right. Once more into the breach, dear friends, as the bard so eloquently puts it. I'll maybe see you later?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully at her.

Alex shrugged, following him down the stairs. "I've no idea. It all depends on whether or not I'm summoned into his Lordship's presence. More than likely, I'll still be here this evening." she added, morosely.

"Well, if you are, we'll stay in, get drunk and sing along to truly awful, heart-rending love songs." He locked the front door behind them and they walked up the street to where his car was parked.

Alex laughed "A Bridget Jones evening!"

Tom looked puzzled, and she grinned. "Never mind. Just a film I watched once." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Have good day at the office, darling," she joked, trying to send him on his way with a smile.

Tom hugged her hard. "Thanks, Alex."

As she turned away, Alex caught a movement put of the corner of her eye. When she turned further, to look back up the street, there was no-one there, but she could have sworn that someone was watching them. She waited while Tom drove away to see if anyone appeared, but the street remained deserted.

Puzzled and strangely unsettled, she began to walk back to her house. She'd decided that she'd spend the day there instead of at Tom's. If she couldn't be at work with Gene, then the nearest she'd could get to being close to him was at home.

When she got there, the house felt oddly still and quiet. She checked the kitchen and the sitting room and realised that they were untouched from her visit the previous day. The bed still hadn't been slept in, and there were no extra clothes in the laundry basket. Gene clearly hadn't been home.

Alex was puzzled, and more than little worried. Surely, he hadn't gone to join Ray at the Royal Oak after having dinner with Ros? She lay down on the bed, a wave of desolation sweeping over her.

He couldn't have, could he?. Yes he could, she reasoned. It all depended on his temper when he'd left the restaurant. If he'd fallen out with Ros in any way, then he'd have been in just the right mood for a strip club. It wasn't the strip club that was upsetting her though, it was the bit after that, the bit where he'd stayed out all night.

She pulled Gene's pillow into her arms and breathed in deeply, the familiar smell making her ache with longing. "Please don't have done anything stupid," she whispered. "We're got enough to work out as is."

Sitting up quickly before the tears came, she punched the pillow hard several times. "Ros" she said decisively. "She saw him last night. I'll go and ask her"

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Ros took an inordinately long time to answer the door. When she at last did so, Alex was surprised to see that she was still in her dressing gown, looking pale and shaky.

"Are you OK? You look like you're coming down with something," she asked, concerned.

"Not ill. Hung-over," Ros croaked, waving Alex into the hall. "Too much wine, far too much bloody whisky" She pulled her dressing gown round her tighter. "I need a fry-up to soak it all up. Feel like cooking?"

Alex bit her lip, trying not smile. "I was going to ask if you knew where Gene went last night after you left the restaurant, but I don't think there's any need to now."

Ros winced as she moved her head too quickly. "You just missed him. He fell asleep on my damn sofa after drinking nearly all my whisky. Goodness, that man can snore fit to wake the dead. I could hear him from my room."

Alex followed Ros into the kitchen and set about assembling the ingredients needed for a hangover cure – bacon, eggs, tomatoes, bread.

While she cooked, Ros sat very still, head in hands, eyes closed. Alex slid a full plate in front of her and placed the cutlery gently on the table. She then sat and concentrated on her own plate of food, tactfully leaving Ros to get over the bit where you felt as though you were either going to eat or throw-up. Finally, Ros picked up her knife and fork and slowly began to cut up her fried bread.

When her plate was clear, she looked up at Alex with a fierce glare. "You want to know the worst thing?" she asked indignantly. "He looked as fresh as a bloody daisy. Not a trace of a hangover." She shook her head ruefully. "I really am far too old for this morning-after-the-night before lark."

Alex smiled. "It's really unfair, isn't it? He never ever seems to suffer no matter how much he drinks. Never affects his performance either," she reflected.

Ros just raised an eyebrow.

"I meant, _at work_" Alex added, hurriedly.

Ros gave her a wicked look. "Of course you did, my dear."

She pushed her chair back from the table. "I'm going to get dressed and then we can both go out somewhere. I take it you're still banned from work?"

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Twenty minutes later, Ros returned, looking slightly more human. "You've got a coat haven't you?"

Alex nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Let's go up to the Heath" Ros suggested. " I need some fresh air and it'll be nice and brisk up there today. Now, I'm still feeling a little shaky, so you can drive my dear."

Alex frowned. "I don't have a car, Ros, and Gene's taken his to work."

Ros grinned. "I know that. I wasn't talking about his car. I was talking about my own, infinitely more stylish, vehicle. Come on, follow me."

She led the way out of the back door and down the long, narrow garden to the small brick building at the end. As Ros unlocked the door, Alex saw that it was a garage, with double doors opening out on to the street behind. A long, low shape sat in the middle of it, covered with a tarpaulin. Ros took hold of the corner and folded it back.

"I really don't drive this as often as I should these days. The steering is just too heavy for me now, but it still runs beautifully…. Here." She handed Alex the keys as she pulled back the last of the tarp.

Alex face broke into a huge grin. "Oh wow!" she exclaimed in delight. "You're actually going to let me drive this?"

"This" was a soft-top E-type Jag, sleek and shiny red, with pale leather upholstery. Alex slid behind the wheel as Ros opened the doors of the garage. The engine started with a deep-throated roar and Alex crowed with laughter.

"Bloody Hell Ros! It's fantastic! Can we drive past the station on the way back?"

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Hampstead Heath was windswept and empty as Alex and Ros walked briskly along, their faces tucked down into their scarves against the bitter wind. Alex had told Ros everything about the events of two nights ago. She'd tried to be calm and dispassionate about it all, but she'd failed miserably, raging at length about Gene and his reaction to the whole situation.

Ros finally interrupted her. "Oh, come on, Alex! I know he did completely the wrong thing by behaving so violently, but let's leave that aside for the moment. Think about what kind of man Gene is. How on earth did you expect him to react?"

Alex was shocked. "I expected him to be more understanding. More accepting. Tom's gay, that's all. It's no big deal. I know it was a shock, but he was really offensive."

Ros nodded vehemently. "Of course he was! Ninety-five percent of men of his age and background would react like that if one of their friends announced they were gay. They don't know how to cope with it, so they react with anger."

Alex snorted derisively. "But they shouldn't! Surely they should realise that's it's perfectly OK for a straight man to be friends with a gay guy. I've known lots of men who've got gay friends and they're not ashamed of it."

Ros looked at her cynically. "Really? Well, I've never met one yet. You must know some exceptionally well-adjusted men. Tell me, are they actually for real, or are they secretly gay themselves? "

Alex started to reply, indignantly, and then stopped. They were for real, but only in another twenty or so years. The realisation hit her like a physical blow, rendering her silent.

"If it makes you feel any better, Gene does feel terrible about the whole thing. He told me that he went totally over the top and it all got really nasty. I gave him a good talking to last night over dinner"

"I know, Tom and I saw you."

"I was going to ask how you knew we'd been out to a restaurant. He really does understand that he's done the wrong thing. He should never have expected you to tell him about Tom."

Alex shrugged miserably. "I was equally to blame, though. I should have handled it differently. He thought that there was something going on between Tom, and me, and I didn't take that into account. I just shouted back at him."

"Well that may be, but he didn't need to react as badly as he did. He didn't hold back on the details of it all, either. He was very candid about how threatening he'd been to both you and Tom."

"I can't believe you managed to get through to him. He's so damn stubborn it's almost impossible to talk to him sometimes. How did you manage it.?"

Ros looked at her steadily. "You know, if you weren't so damn stubborn yourself, Alex, you'd be able to handle him better. I just asked him to put himself in Tom's place. To think about the thing he was most ashamed of in his life, and then ask himself if he'd want that secret revealed to the world. Then I asked him to think about the position you found yourself in, knowing that you've got to do the right thing professionally, but still feeling an intense loyalty to your friend."

"And what did he say when you asked him all this?" Alex was desperately curious to know what Gene had said to Ros.

"Well, he didn't tell me what his deepest secret was, but he looked pretty cut up about it for a moment. When he's ready to deal with it, he'll tell someone, I'm sure. Then he started to tell me about an old Governor of his, Harry Wolf. Gene knew he was responsible for a series of robberies and had to turn him in. He didn't want to, but he did the right thing and it nearly broke his heart."

Alex kicked a stone hard as she walked along, irrationally hurt that Gene could behave so reasonably when Ros asked him to. Why couldn't he be like that with her? "Why can't he just think more before he goes off at the deep-end. He's always so bloody defensive all the time!" she snarled, angrily. " We're supposed to be on the same side!"

"He's so lonely, Alex." replied Ros, gently. "He gets scared that it's all too good to be true, and one day you'll come to your senses and leave him. He doesn't give his trust easily, and you and Tom made him feel foolish."

"Gene's not lonely! He's got more friends than I have. There's all the lads for a start! Ray and Chris. They've been friends with him for years!" She deliberately ignored the last point, knowing it was the major cause of Gene's anger.

Ros glared at her angrily. "Oh for Heaven's sake! Grow-up Alex! They're not his friends! They're his work-mates. He's the Guv. He's not supposed to have doubts or worries. He can't talk to them about his hopes and fears. He certainly can't talk to them about his relationship with you. You're their DI! Just stop and think for a minute, Alex. Step back from it all and take a look at what's really going on underneath all the shouting."

Alex said nothing, frowning, knowing that what she'd just been told was true, but not willing to concede the fact. Ros sighed in exasperation.

"Here's a man whose best friend's died, he's left everything behind him, started again in a new city, and he feels lost. Really lost, as if he's never going to find himself again. He told me he felt like a ghost when he first moved down here. "Insubstantial" was the exact word he used. Then you crash into his life and turn it upside down, making him feel things he's never felt before, even in his wildest dreams. You frustrated him, confused him, terrified him, even. Not to mention that, despite all of this, he fell hopelessly in love with you. Do you really think he's going to talk to Ray and Chris about it all?"

She continued, her tone gentler now. "Tom is his equal in rank. Someone he could talk to about everything. His job, his relationship, his feelings. He thought that any chance of a friendship like that had been lost when Sam died. He talked for ages about him last night, Alex. It would seem that Gene credits Sam with making him a better copper, and you apparently, are making him a better man. So, now I've told you all this, think about it all and work it out. You already know the answers."

Alex pulled her beanie hat down over her ears, her mind whirling with everything that Ros had just said. She was right. Taking a deep breath, she tried to unpick the mess that she found herself in.

"I need to talk to him, don't I? Really talk to him. Not just shout at him and get all indignant on Tom's behalf." She sighed "I did try to apologise to him Ros, but he just told me to stay away from him."

"Ah. Yes. I think I'm probably to blame for that. You see, he rang me from the station just after you'd told him you were staying the cell with Tom. It's a good job I don't need much sleep, as we talked for ages. I suggested that he let you both out, but that it might be best to have some time to cool down before you tried to talk things over. Last night, at dinner, I did persuade him that he has to talk to you sooner rather than later."

She shivered, suddenly. "I'm freezing, but at least my headache's gone. Shall we make our way home? Via Fenchurch East, of course."

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Back at Ros's house, Alex shut the garage doors and went to hand Ros the keys. She shook her head, making no move to take them from Alex.

"You keep them. You look so good behind the wheel and the car deserves to be driven more often." She gave Alex a knowing smile. "It will give you back some of the independence I think you sometimes crave. Although, that's half your problem, you know Alex. You're too independent ofr your own good. Gene feels as though you don't really need him at all sometimes."

Alex hugged Ros tightly. "What would I do without you? You will never know just how much you've helped me. Thank you."

Ros hugged her back, before pulling away, gripping onto Alex's hands hard. "When Gene comes to find you, just listen to him. He's fighting so hard not to be like his father, Alex. For so long he's believed it's inevitable he'll turn out like him. You are his "chance of redemption", and those are his words, not mine. You're his chance to heal the damage that's been done to him. Promise me that you'll let him talk for as long as he needs to?"

Alex nodded, the tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

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She filled the hours between leaving Ros and meeting Tom at King's Cross, with housework and errands, walking up the road to collect Gene's shirts and suits from the dry-cleaners. Returning home and putting them away, she found immense satisfaction from seeing them all hanging so neatly in the wardrobe.

Sorting out the clean washing a few minutes later, she laughed. "What would the Feminists say?" she chided herself. "All that time at University, Alex Drake, struggling to climb the career ladder, and you're enjoying the fact you've managed to pair up all Gene's clean socks."

Alex made sure that she left just after five, so that there was no chance of Gene coming home and finding her there. As much as she longed to see him, she knew that he had to be the one to decide when and where they would talk.

Tom collected her from the front desk at Collier Street and they drove up to Liverpool Road, stopping at the large supermarket that was just a few doors up from Chapel Market. Tom had no food at all at his house, and Alex insisted that they needed to eat as well as drink that evening. In truth, she didn't want to be steaming drunk in case Gene rang and wanted to talk things over.

While she paid for the groceries, Tom went across to the video rental shop, returning triumphantly with "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Roman Holiday". Alex said nothing, looking at him with raised eyebrows. He stared at her in wide-eyed innocence before laughing. "OK. I'll admit it. Sometimes, I like to be a little clichéd. Just be thankful I that didn't choose "The Wizard of Oz" and "Caberet".

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As they unloaded the shopping from the car outside Tom's house, Alex had the feeling that they were being watched again. Remembering the figure from this morning, she scanned the street, but there was no one there. Tom looked at her, frowning.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just thought there was someone there. It's just me being silly. That bloody wreath has made me feel all creepy."

"Well, if makes you feel any better, Gene's apparently had Chris ringing round all the flower shops in the vicinity to try and find out who sent it."

Tom patted his pockets, and swore softly. "No bloody cigarettes. I knew there was something else I wanted. Never mind, I'll go round the corner to the pub, get some there. I'll only be ten minutes." He turned and began to walk back up the street in the direction of Exmouth Market.

"OK. I'll open the wine. Hurry up or I'll have eaten all the crisps" Alex picked up the shopping bags and disappeared inside, letting the front door swing shut behind her.

She put the shopping away, before turning on the radio and singing along softly as she opened the wine. Suddenly from downstairs, there was an almighty crash, followed by the sound of glass shattering. Alex jumped, and the corkscrew slipped from the top of the wine bottle, nearly impaling itself in her hand. What the bloody hell was that?

Tom?" she called, anxiously. "Tom?"

She hurried towards the stairs, pulling open the door, her heart beginning to race as the strong smell of petrol hit her nostrils. Reaching the last set of stairs, she began to cough as thick black smoke came roiling up from the ground floor. She could here the roar of flames as she bent double, feeling her way down the stairs, knowing that she had to try to reach the front door. The door that opened into the studio was shut and Alex was terrified of opening it in case it caused the flames to be sucked into the stairwell.

"Think, Alex, think" she urged herself. "Is there any other way out?" She forced herself to think about the layout of the rooms upstairs. There were no other staircases, no fire escape. She had no option; she had to open the door. The smoke was thicker now, and she pulled her jumper sleeve down over her hand, holding it over her mouth to try and stop herself from coughing so much.

Turning the handle quickly, she kicked the door open, flinging herself down on the stairs as low as she could get, hoping that the flames would go over her head. Thankfully, there was no huge rush of flame, just heat and more smoke. Peering through it, she saw that the whole of the front of the studio was on fire, flames roaring up the walls and across the ceiling. The front door was almost obscured by a wall of flame. No way through. Fighting down the panic, she checked to see if she could climb out of the smashed front window. There was a better chance of doing that as there were less flames on that side and Alex decided it was her only option.

She heard a voice shouting her name from outside and realised that Tom was there. "Alex! Come on! You'll have to run! I'll help you climb through!" She could see him now, leaning as close as he could, shielding his face against the heat. Gathering her courage, she pushed herself up off the stairs and ran, only to catch her foot on one of the chair legs, sprawling off-balance and cannoning heavily into one the desks.

She felt a sharp blow to her head and then everything blurred. Alex could hear Tom shouting as she tried to get to her feet, but her legs wouldn't work. With a huge roar, part of the ceiling collapsed, blocking both the front door and the way back upstairs. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself upright, hanging onto the desk as the world spun and heaved around her.

As she fell again, she felt arms catching her, dragging her backwards towards the window. The cool air on her face made her gasp as she was manhandled over the sill, only just managing to put her arms out to stop herself falling heavily, face-first, onto the pavement. A figure climbed over the sill behind her, coughing and retching with the smoke. She looked up into Tom's smoke-streaked face as he bent down to grasp her arms, and pull her further away from the building.

As they reached the opposite pavement, two fire engines arrived with a blare of sirens. Alex sagged back against the wall, shaking with relief, Tom leaning beside her, still coughing.

"You know, if you don't like Audrey Hepburn, you should have just told me. Burning the place down is going a little too far, Lexi." He smiled shakily at her and she thumped his arm hard.

"You stupid bloody idiot! Just stop bloody joking for once! I nearly got burnt to a cinder!" She glared at him furiously, knowing that the anger was all that was stopping her from crying.

Tom pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "Sorry Lexi. I really am. I didn't realise the place was on fire. I just saw someone running away, so I chased them. Copper's instinct kicking in. I should have come back to check if you were OK."

Alex realised that he was holding her awkwardly, one of his hands held out and away from her body. She wriggled from his embrace and took a closer look at it. There was a deep cut running right across the palm of his left hand, the blood running freely from it and dripping onto the pavement.

"There was broken glass sticking up from the edge of the widow sill. I cut myself as I climbed in." He looked up the street, over her shoulder. "The ambulance is here now. They'll patch me up."

Alex waited with Tom as his hand was bandaged up, refusing to have a dressing put on the graze on her head. "I'm fine, really I am. Just sort him out."

A dark car drew up alongside them and Tom grinned. "Here are my faithful deputies come to see if their beloved leader is still alive. Tell you what Lexi, I'll get them to give you a lift home. I need stitches in this cut and there's no point in hanging around here with me."

"You're sure?" she asked him. "Where will you go after you've had your hand stitched? You can't come back here."

He waved her away with his good hand. "Yes, I'm sure. One of the guys will let me kip on their sofa. Go home, Alex. Wait for Gene to come home to you. Even he can't continue to sulk after this drama. I'll get the lads to radio Fenchurch East and let them know what's happening."

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She was in the shower washing smell of smoke from her skin when she heard the front door slam and then Gene's voice, full of angry concern, shouting for her as he came up the stairs.

"In the shower!" she called "I'll be out in a minute."

The bathroom door burst open and Gene erupted into the room, puling off his tie with one hand, the other dropping his jacket on the floor. He said something but Alex didn't catch it as she plunged her head under the jets of water, washing the shampoo from her hair. "What?" she spluttered as the water went into her mouth. The next thing she knew, the shower door opened and Gene stepped in, still wearing his shirt and boxers.

"I said, I can't wait that long" he growled as he slid his arms around her, pulling her to him. She laughed, breaking off with a gasp as his mouth crashed down onto hers, devouring her, his hands leaving her waist to tangle in her hair. Alex held on to the soaking wet material of his shirt as her knees gave way with the force of her desire. Gene kissed her hungrily, growling deep in his chest as his tongue plundered her mouth. Hands shaking, she fought to undo his shirt, tugging it from his shoulders. Gene let go of her for an instant, ripping open the last couple of stubborn buttons with one hand, stripping off his boxers with the other.

He groaned as she took the hot, hard length of him in her hand, his mouth on her neck, his hands on her breasts, her nipples hardening instantly at his touch.

"I need you, Alex" he gasped. "God, I've missed you so much." She kissed him urgently, biting at his lower lip, still working him with her hand, the water cascading over them both. He turned her round, hands on her hips, pulling her against him, pushing into to her in one smooth, forceful movement. Alex flung her head back and howled at the incredible sensation of him sliding his cock deep inside her.

She arched her back, angling her hips back towards him, bracing herself with her hands against the tiles. Gene reached round to brush his fingers over her clit, moving them in small circles, making her moan wordlessly in ecstasy. She felt her legs start to tremble as the heat spread out from her centre, Gene thrusting up into her as hard as he could, his breath hot and ragged against her shoulder. Her body convulsed hard against his and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as she came, shouting out with the intensity of her climax.

She felt him shudder, arms gripping her tightly as he spilled into her, groaning her name into her neck, biting her shoulder hard. For a minute, as they both recovered, they let the water from the shower continue to soak them both, before Gene reached out and turned it off with a shaking hand.

Stepping out of the shower enclosure into the steamy bathroom, he pulled a towel from the rail, wrapping it round her, before doing the same for himself.

He brushed her wet hair back from her forehead, wincing as he uncovered the bruise that was already showing there. "You OK?" he asked her gruffly. "Sorry.. should have asked you that before.. you know.. before I …" He looked up at her with a naughty-boy grin. "Just couldn't wait, knowing that you were in here all naked and soaking wet."

Alex smiled back at him. "I'm fine, thanks. Much better now you're here with me." She reached out and brushed her fingers across his chest. "I hate being away from you, Gene."

He nodded, looking at the floor, awkwardly. "Me too." He looked up at her with a fierce glare. "Is it true about Fletcher? Did he really rescue you from the fire?"

"Yes. Absolutely true. He climbed in through the window and dragged me out. I'd hit my head." She indicated to the bruise. "I couldn't stand up properly. If he hadn't risked his life to get me, I'd have been killed when the ceiling fell in. It was already starting to come down as I tried to reach the window. The fire brigade wouldn't have got there in time."

She watched as he thought about what she'd just said, his mouth compressed into a hard, grim line. Wordlessly he reached out and pulled her to him, enveloping her in the warmth of his embrace. She felt the huge sigh that issued from him before he began to speak, so softly that she had to strain to hear his words. "You are the most precious thing I have ever had, Alex, and I am an idiot for nearly messing it up again…..forgive me….. please don't ever go away, Alex...stay with me... forever."

She pulled back from him, wanting to see his face, beginning to try to apologise for her behaviour, wanting to reassure him. He put his fingers on her lips, his silver blue gaze burning into her "No. Not now. There'll be time enough tomorrow to talk." Alex nodded, leaning forward and kissing his neck softly, licking at his damp skin.

He swung her up into his arms, deliberately breaking the solemn mood, laughing at her surprise as he carried her in to their bedroom.

"Gene! What are you doing!"

"Taking you to bed…… I want you again Alex" he growled.

"Again? Right now?" She laughed at his affronted face as he flung her on the bed.

"Haven't had you for two nights. I can manage it again this quick, you know, Bolly. I'm not past it yet." He lay down beside her, his fingers tracing small circles across her bare skin.

"I can see you're far from it, Mr Hunt" purred Alex, removing his towel with a grin of delight at what she'd revealed. " Let me show you just how much I've missed you" she murmured, pushing him back onto the pillows.


	36. Chapter 36

**Sorry this has taken so long. I have had the worst "writers block". Nothing seemed to make sense and I almost convinced myself that I couldn't write them talking things through as it was such a huge task! In the end I've had to split into two chapters.**

**Once again, thanks to everyone who reads H&F, and thank you for your lovely reviews. :)**

Alex woke to the sound of an insistently ringing phone. On and on it shrilled, and whoever was on the other end showed no sign of ringing off.

"Gene" she thought, stumbling downstairs, recognising the same technique that he used on the front doorbell when he was too drunk to find his keys. Just as picked up the receiver, it went dead. Alex swore and banged it down into the cradle where it began ringing again almost at once.

"Morning" Alex's voice was sickly sweet.

"Did I wake you, Bolly? Sorry. Some of us have been at work for hours."

"You told me to stay away from work. As far as I'm aware, those orders still stand."

There was silence whilst he considered her answer.

"Yes,... well, ...it's different now. I want you to chase up Fletcher and ask him if he knows anyone with the initials M.W. Chris struck lucky with the wreath yesterday. The description of the bloke who ordered it matches the one we already have. The florist says he paid cash so she didn't get a name but his wallet had his initials on it."

"So I'm back on this case now, am I?" she asked cautiously.

"Yep." Gene was terse and Alex knew that it was because he didn't want to talk to Tom. His voice dropped to a low growl. "Look Alex, I know I said we'd talk today but I'm up to my eyes in stuff here this morning. When you've talked to Fletcher, come into work and I'll try and get things sorted so I can take you out for lunch."

"OK" agreed Alex, realising she had no idea what was going on at the station in her absence. "What are you so busy with?"

"We were in the middle of a drugs raid when I got the call about you. I left Ray and the lads to deal with it, and now I'm playing catch-up." Alex could hear the smile in his voice as he continued. "Dropping everything to shag you senseless is all very well, Bolly, but the paperwork's a bloody nightmare."

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She phoned Collier Street to ask one of Tom's team where he was, but to Alex's surprise, Tom answered the phone himself. "No-where else to go, Lexi" he explained, when she queried why he was in the office. "The house is all boarded up and secure, and I'm waiting for a builder to come and assess the damage. No point staying at home. I might as well be here."

She explained about the wreath and the initials and he went silent for a moment. Please let him remember a name, Alex prayed. Then maybe, we can put an end to this whole mess.

"Tom? Are you still there?"

"Yes… just trying to put a name to a face. There was a guy called Michael a few months back. He was a regular at Wilde's. He knew Laurence too….. I can't think of his surname. Not sure I even knew it in the first place to be honest. I can remember where he lived though, so I'll do an address check and see what it turns up."

"OK" agreed Alex, cautiously. "Tom, you're not to take this into your own hands. Gene and I will sort it out, OK? Promise you'll let us take care of it."

"Promise. I want it resolved, but I swear I won't do anything silly. I'll do the check now and ring you back."

"Ring the station and speak to DC Ellis. I'm calling from home, so I'll catch up with him when I get into work."

"Gene's forgiven you then?" he asked, a little wistfully.

"It would seem that way."

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When she reached the station, the CID room was a hive of activity and Gene was nowhere to be seen. As Alex hung up her coat, Ray looked up from his telephone conversation, cupping his hand over the receiver. "He's with the Super," he told her, with a grimace.

"Cheers, Ray" Alex turned to find Peter Ellis waiting by her desk.

"DCI Fletcher rang. The name you need is Michael Weston and here's the address. Shall we go and see if he's there now, Boss?"

Alex looked at her watch. Half nine. "We could try, although I expect he may be at work by now. Just let me leave a note for the Guv to let him know what's going on."

Michael Weston lived in a flat above a paper shop, just off the Mile End Road. Although Alex knocked and rang at the door several times, there was no response. Ellis went to talk to the newsagent and returned shortly, shaking his head. "He's definitely not there, Ma'am. He says he saw Weston leaving his flat early this morning. He was sorting the newspapers and he saw him drive off in his car."

"Registration number?" Alex asked, hopefully.

Ellis shook his head. "No such luck. All he knows is, the car's a blue Vauxhall."

Alex sighed. "Better than nothing, I suppose. Let's get back to the station and do a vehicle check. Then we can ask uniform to keep an eye out for him."

As they were driving back, Alex's radio crackled in to life. "Drake" Gene's voice filled the car and Alex saw Ellis's shoulders tense. "Uniform have just run a trace on a car reported abandoned on Tower Bridge this morning. It's registered to a Michael Weston. The address is the same as the one Fletcher gave you. Get Ellis to drop you off at the bridge, I'll meet you there."

It took Ellis less than ten minutes to reach the river, pulling in just by the Tower. "Do you need me to wait for you, Boss?" he queried as Alex swung herself out of the car. She spotted the Quattro parked just inside the police cordon, on the rise of the bridge itself.

"No thanks, Peter. I'll get a lift back with the Guv."

Gene was leaning on the railings, watching the river below. Alex could tell from the set of his shoulders and the fierce way he dragged on his cigarette that he was not a happy man. Two younger uniformed officers stood a little way off, beside a blue Vauxhall Chevette. Their faces brightened visibly when they caught sight of her.

"Shall we get this towed away, Ma'am?" one of them asked her, nervously.

"What did DCI Hunt say about it? Have you asked him?"

"Yes, Ma'am. He told us to wait 'til you got here. He said we were to shut up, stand still, and to try and look useful."

Evidently they'd already felt the sharp side of the Guv's mood. Alex suppressed a smile.

"Yes. Radio the station and ask them to get it towed away. When you've done that you can go back to the end of the bridge and make sure no-one comes through the cordon until the car's gone."

She left them to it and went to lean on the railing by Gene. By his feet was a pile of folded clothes, a black overcoat lain neatly on top of them all.

"I'm presuming these are Weston's clothes." she said, picking up the coat.

He nodded, still focusing on the river below. Alex felt in the inside pocket and pulled out a wallet, marked with the initials MW. It was empty apart from a driving licence and a card for a gym membership.

"Anything else?" she asked, wondering what was troubling him.

"Suicide note. Left pocket"

Alex found a few sheets of tightly folded paper, held together with the clip of a heavy, silver pen. She unfolded them carefully and began to read the closely written script, her heart sinking at what it revealed.

Michael Weston admitted everything, the attacks on the other men, the murder of Laurence Holt, and most worryingly, his brief relationship with Tom Fletcher, whom he acknowledged had become an obsession. He apologised repeatedly for killing Lawrence, and on the final page, he announced his intention to kill Tom by setting fire to his house, and then to kill himself.

"Shit" she breathed, looking up. Gene met her eyes for the first time.

"You said it, Alex. They read this at the inquest and everyone will know that DCI Fletcher bats for the other team."

She refolded the letter, clipping the pen onto the pages, just as she'd found it.

"What now?" she asked him.

He gave her an unfathomable look. "Those two plods gone yet?"

Alex checked over his shoulder. "Yes"

Gene held out his hand for the letter and Alex passed it to him. As she let it go, his fingers seemed to fumble with it for a split second, and suddenly the pages spiralled out of his grasp, falling down towards the river, the fast-flowing, murky water swallowing them up, even as they watched.

"Damn" he said, calmly, his face carefully devoid of expression.

"Damn indeed" agreed Alex, equally deadpan.

"Well, I've said it before; you always were a clumsy tart, Bolly."

She looked at him indignantly, and he winked at her, a slow grin spreading across his face.

He felt in the coat pocket again and withdrew a set of house keys. He stared at them, weighing them in his hand for a moment, clearly considering what he was about to do next. He met Alex's gaze with a challenging stare.

"Come on. Lets see what else there is at Weston's flat."

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Gene didn't let her come in to the flat with him, refusing point blank to even consider her request to help him search it.

"You stay out here, Alex. That way, if we get asked any awkward questions, you won't be able to answer them."

She agreed, unhappy about letting Gene do the search alone, but knowing it was useless to argue with him. She sat on the stairs, just outside the door of the flat, listening to Gene moving around inside. After twenty minutes or so, he stuck his head out into the hall.

"Right. All finished. Go and distract the newsagent while I get this stuff downstairs."

Alex said nothing, knowing that what they were doing was fundamentally wrong, but if it saved Tom's reputation, she would go along with it, no matter what. She was more than a little surprised that Gene was taking such drastic action to cover up the extent of Tom's involvement, given his attitude towards him a couple of days ago, but she knew it was motivated by Gene's own personal sense of honour and obligation.

While she bought a couple of chocolate bars and asked the proprietor a few more questions about Weston, she saw Gene walk to the boot of his car and quickly dump a couple of carrier bags in it. He shut it again and leant against the door waiting for her to finish. Smiling her thanks to the newsagent, she hurried out to the car.

She waited until they'd pulled out onto the Mile End Road, before handing him a Curly Wurly.

"No Sherbert Fountains?" he asked.

"Yes, but I 'm not going to let you have one while you're wearing that black coat. You'd look like you'd been sampling the drugs you found last night."

"I'm not that messy, Bolly……. Am I?" he queried, as she gave him a despairing look.

Gene drove back towards the station with his usual casual disregard for other road users, speeding through amber lights, and slewing round corners. Alex said nothing, knowing that it would only make him accelerate if she nagged him about his speed.

"So what did you find in the flat" she asked, her eyes scanning the road ahead for unwary cyclists or pedestrians.

"Weston's diaries. Letters to Fletcher, declaring his undying love, that he obviously never sent. Some photos. More than enough to finish Tom's career." Gene voice was terse.

"What are we going to do with them? I take it that's what is in the carrier bags?"

"_We_, are not going to do anything. You're going back to the station and I will deal with the contents of my car boot. No need for both of us to be involved. I've done this before Bols. You, on the other hand, have an unblemished record."

"You're sure you want to do this, Gene?" she asked him as they pulled up outside the station. "Seriously? This is destroying evidence."

He turned to look at her, his eyes dark with emotion. "Yes, I'm sure. If Tom hadn't been there last night to get you out, I'd have lost you Alex. I owe him a debt that's almost impossible to repay. This will go some way to even-up the score." He looked away from her, staring out of the window. "I know I'd sworn not to do this kind of stuff any more, but I have to do this. If I don't, then Fletcher's life won't be worth living. I won't let that happen to him, Alex."

He turned back to her, his face set, waiting for her to argue. Instead, Alex smiled softly at him, and leaned over to kiss him gently on the lips.

"I love you" she whispered against his cheek.

He smiled awkwardly; even now he was still slightly uncomfortably with "soppy stuff" as he put it.

"Get your gorgeous arse out of my car and into the office, Bolly" he told her gruffly. "I want you to notify Thames Division about Weston's suicide. They'll be able to work out roughly where the body might be washed up, if it is at all. Sometimes they disappear without trace. When you've done that, there's a stack of reports on my desk. I want you to look through them and tell me what you notice about them. I'll be back later and we'll go out for that lunch I promised you."

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True to his word, Gene arrived back at the station at just after half past twelve. He strode through the office to Alex's desk, determinedly ignoring everyone else. Chris, Shaz and DS Bartlett all tried to catch his eye, but Gene wasn't interested.

"No-one says a word. If I don't hear it, then I don't have to deal with it. Whatever it is can wait. I'm talking Bolly out to lunch."

She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. Thames Division has just called. They've recovered a body from the river about half an hour ago. It was caught up on the mooring ropes of some refuse barges near Wapping Pier. It could be Weston and I need to track down someone who can formally identify him so that we know he's definitely dead."

Gene sighed. "Right. Find out who his next-of-kin are, and get them to do it. I'll finished off the paperwork from last night while you do that. I'm still taking you out to lunch though, Bols."

"Gene, I really don't have time. I need to get this sorted out. I can't have a lunch-break in the middle of it all."

He laughed. "I don't mean now. I mean "lunch", Bolly." He wiggled his fingers in the air as he said it and Alex raised her eyebrows at him.

"Don't wiggle your fingers when you talk to me, Gene" she replied, with a teasing grin.

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Shaz came over to Alex's desk as soon as Gene had settled himself in his office. "So things are all right between you and the Guv then, Ma'am?" she asked, cautiously. Alex gave her a wry look.

"Just about, Shaz, although it did get a bit wobbly for a couple of days."

"Well, we did wonder what was going on when you didn't come into work. He was a right grumpy sod, so we all knew something wasn't right." Her voice dropped to conspiratorial whisper. "I suppose it was about DCI Fletcher?"

Alex nodded. "We've managed to establish that DCI Fletcher had nothing to do with attacks. I take it the Guv asked you and Ellis to keep quiet about it all?"

It was Shaz's turn to nod. "Yes. He told us how serious it would be if anyone found out about him. Ellis won't say anything. He's OK about stuff like that because of his brother, and I won't say a word. I like DCI Fletcher." She grinned at Alex. "Shame it's always the good-looking ones that are on the other bus."

"Oh I don't know," laughed Alex. "There's a few that aren't."

Shaz considered this for a moment "That's true. The Guv's most definitely not, and all the WPC's think he's gorgeous." Her hand flew to her mouth as she realised what she'd said and she blushed. "Oh, sorry Ma'am. I didn't mean that how it sounded. I mean, he is gorgeous, but I don't fancy him or anything. Anyway I've got Chris…."

She began to giggle, as they both looked up at Chris, who was cross eyed at the effort of trying to show Ray how to balance a pink wafer on the tip of his nose, then back over at Gene, grumpy, but still handsomely dishevelled even whilst battling with his hated paperwork.

"What are you two giggling about?" he snapped, looking up at them. "Do you want to go out to lunch or not, Drake?"

"Yes ,Guv"

"Bloody well get on with some work then. This a CID office, not a coffee-morning." He scowled at them both. "Speaking of which, I'll have tea please, Shaz, and don't forget the sugar."


	37. Chapter 37

**My "block" seems to have gone, but I now seem to be submerged in the depths of smuttiness. ****All I can say is, a few drinks and a night out on the town, and they get all filthy. Sorry. (or not as the case may be ; ). **

To Alex's surprise, when they finally finished work at just gone five, Gene left the Quattro where it was parked, hailing a black cab instead. "King Street, Covent Garden" he barked to the cabbie, holding open the door for Alex. She smiled to herself as he did so. Gene may be rude, awkward and sometimes downright obnoxious, but buried underneath it all, were good old-fashioned manners, drummed into him no doubt by his mother and her formidable sounding sister.

She sat back in the seat, as Gene climbed in beside her, folding his long black coat around him. She leaned against him and he took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb slowly across the back of it, making Alex shiver with pleasure.

"You smell of smoke" she told him. "Not cigarettes, though," she continued, puzzled.

"Wood smoke" he told her. "I felt the need for a bonfire in the garden."

"It's all gone then?"

"Every little scrap. You can let Fletcher know, and then we can inform the other victims that Weston was responsible for the attacks. No point in taking it any further now we know he's killed himself. Who did you get to identify the body in the end?"

"The owner of the gym he went to." replied Alex, sadly. "I couldn't get hold of anyone else. Michael Weston seems to have lived a very lonely life. Both his parents are dead, and there were no other relatives that I could trace. He was just a sad lonely man with no love in his life. No one to miss him, or mourn for him, either."

Gene nodded, lost in thought, his hand still gripping hers tightly. He said nothing else, watching out the window as they made their way out of the City, via Ludgate Hill. The cab sped along the Strand and turned left, then swung right, onto King Street.

Gene paid the fare and led Alex across the road to a small pub near the corner of Covent Garden Market. Alex read the sign over the door, "The Essex Serpent". She frowned, knowing that she'd been here before, in her own time, but she couldn't remember any of the details. As always, the memories of her previous existence were blurred and foggy, like a half remembered dream.

The corner table in the window was empty, a reserved sign sitting in the middle of it. Gene sat down and indicated for her to do the same. She pointed to the sign "We can't sit here. It's reserved."

Gene rolled his eyes and sighed. "And you're supposed to be one of the Met's finest. I know it's reserved, Bolly….. by me. We were supposed to be coming here for lunch. I can think ahead sometimes." Alex grinned sheepishly and slid into the seat opposite him.

Gene nodded a greeting to the barman and he came over, holding out his hand to clasp Gene's, smiling delightedly. "Mr Hunt. It's good to see you. It's been a long time."

Alex noted that he too, had a Manchester accent. "Old friend?" she asked him, inclining her head towards Gene. The younger man was suddenly serious.

"You could say that. Mr Hunt here changed my life. Changed my family's life too." He glanced at Gene, who sat quietly, lips pushed into a pout of denial. "I'll let him tell you the details. What can I get you to drink?"

"Well, I think as we're both being grown-ups today, we'll have a bottle of red, please Neil. That OK with you, Alex?" She nodded, faintly surprised at being asked. Gene usually assumed that she wanted what he did, and ordered accordingly. One of the many endearing and annoying traits of the truly Alpha male, Alex thought to herself.

"So, come on then. How did you change his life?" she asked, as Neil went to fetch the wine.

"I nicked his old man for an armed raid on a post office and got him sent down for twenty-five years." Gene was straight-faced and matter of fact, but clearly didn't want to reveal anything more. Alex looked at him in astonishment.

"I can see how that would significantly change his life, but why is he so damn happy about it?"

Neil returned, placing a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. He caught the tail end of Alex's question and looked at Gene, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, Neil supplied her with the answer.

"My Dad was handy wi' his fists, and not too fussy who he used them on, either. He put my Mam in hospital on more than one occasion. Broke my brother's arm so bad he still can't bend his elbow, hurt both my sisters terribly, too. Mr Hunt stopped all that when he got him sent down." Neil gave Gene a level look. "Very conveniently, the police found the shotguns used in the raid in the boot of his car. My Dad wasn't usually stupid enough to make such a silly mistake. Almost fate, wasn't it, Mr Hunt?" He grinned at him before turning to Alex. "What would you like to eat? I can recommend the steak and chips."

"Perfect. I'll have mine rare." Gene clearly wanted him to stop talking and leave.

"I'll have the steak as well, please, but medium rare for me. I'm not such a caveman as DCI Hunt"

Neil disappeared to give their order to the kitchen and Alex raised her eyebrow at Gene enquiringly.

He shrugged. "His dad was involved in the raid, Alex. I just made sure he couldn't wriggle out of it, the evil bastard. What he did to those kids sickened me, especially those poor little girls. I saw a way to stop it, so I took it." He glared at her fiercely. "I'd do it again, too. There are some things that have to be done, no matter what the law says." He shook his head, closing his eyes, as if to clear away the images there. "Enough of that, now. We came here to talk about our future, not my past."He lit a cigarette, narrowing his eyes against the smoke as he exhaled. "We'll get the official bit over wi' first, I think."

Alex looked at him in surprise, and he stared back at her determinedly. "Don't think you're going to get off without a bollocking, Alex. We may live together, but I'm still the Guv. What you did was wrong, for lots of reasons, the main one being that you deliberately kept the fact that a senior member of CID was involved, from me. Now I know why you felt you had to do that, but it doesn't make it right. There are procedures and I expect better from you."

Alex glared at him angrily. "How the hell can you sit there and say that after what you've just told me about Neil and his father! Not to mention what happened this morning on the bridge, or your little bonfire earlier. What you're saying is, it's OK for you to disregard the rules when you feel like it, but not for me. I had to keep it from you Gene, in order to protect Tom! It wasn't a choice I made lightly."

He leaned forward towards her, visibly holding his temper in check, his voice hard.

"What I did this morning wasn't right, but it needed to be done! The difference is, you know about it! I haven't kept it from you. We were in it together - a team! You and me. I realise what a difficult position you were in Alex, but in protecting Tom, you jeopardised everything else! You put your own career on the line. You put both my reputation and our relationship at risk! If the Super had found out about the row we had, he'd have transferred us both. How long would we have lasted if that had happened? Which one of us would have been willing to make the sacrifice of giving up their job to stay together?" He closed his eyes, rubbing a hand across his face in frustration.

"I said it before and I'll say it once more, just to make it damn clear! I am _not_ starting again Alex - not in a new city, not wi' a new team, and certainly not without you! It's _not_ happening. I will do anything to make us work, but you have to be honest wi' me. We have to trust each other – professionally and personally. Bottom line is you didn't trust me to do my job properly without bias. I can see why you thought that, but ultimately it doesn't matter. I'm your senior officer and you need to tell me everything. You chose Tom over me, and that hurt, Alex." He let out a deep breath, before fixing her with his piercing silver gaze. "What I want to know is, how the hell do we sort this out?

She said nothing, looking down at the tabletop, sulkily "I'm not sure I want to be here, if all you're going to do is tell me off," she muttered.

He laughed at her reply. "You're behaving like a child now, Alex. Don't make me put you over my knee. Be a good girl and say sorry."

She clenched her jaw, angrily, hating the fact that everything he'd said was true, that just for once, he held the moral high ground and not her. It was a distinctly uncomfortable feeling and Alex was tempted to apologise and leave, just to finish the conversation. She wanted to leave and nurse her wounded pride somewhere where Gene couldn't see her, but she knew that wouldn't achieve anything.

"I'm sorry. I know how much I hurt you. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't," she muttered, and still struggling with her conflicting emotions, she picked the bottle of wine, concentrating on filling their glasses. As she placed the bottle back on the table, she felt something cold on her wrist and heard a metallic snap. She looked up at Gene in shock, realising what he'd just done but having no idea why. He grinned at her lazily as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"What the bloody hell have you done that for?" she asked, indignantly, clutching her right wrist, now neatly encased in a handcuff, the other one of which was attached to Gene's left. He laughed, his eyes glittering with mischief.

Alex was livid and opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought about him finding it so funny. He held up his free hand, still chuckling. "Hang on, Alex. Don't go nuclear on me. Hear me out." She snapped her mouth shut, glaring at him furiously.

"Ros told me that I had to talk to you. She said we should go somewhere public where we had to behave like grown-ups." He waved his free hand. "A pub in Convent Garden's pretty public. Busiest place I could think of, apart from Piccadilly Circus, and I'm not having a conversation wi' you there. Nowhere to sit, 'cept with all the punks by Eros and I'm not going anywhere near that bunch of twats."

"And the handcuffs?" asked Alex, teeth gritted. "Are they just to add a little spice to the whole occasion?"

"No. She also said that we had to make an effort not to storm off if the conversation didn't go the way we wanted it to. I get the impression that it's not all going your way at the moment and you're thinking about leaving. The cuffs are to stop us running out on each other. Can't do that if we're cuffed together, can we?" He beamed at her, evidently delighted with his reasoning.

Alex took a deep breath, not knowing whether to shout, laugh or cry. Part of her was so pleased that he was actually taking the whole thing seriously, but she was still bloody furious that he was being so smug.

"Gene, I promise I won't run off. Now, undo the cuffs."

"Nope" Gene sat back in his seat, forcing Alex to stretch her arm further over the table. "Can't"

"What! Why on earth not?"

"I haven't got the keys on me"

"You haven't got them!" Alex's voice rose nearly to a shout before she remembered where she was.

"Grown-ups, Bolly. We supposed to be grown-ups.," he murmured, maddeningly. "I'm sure Ros told you the very same thing."

"Yes, she did, but I'm not sure that she envisaged us being cuffed to each other at the time! People will think we're criminals!" Alex hissed.

Gene raised his eyebrows wickedly at her. "Well, I'm wearing a suit Bolly, so they'll naturally assume I'm the Law. It just you that looks like a criminal in those civvies." His grin widened. "What do you want to be? Pickpocket? …. brothel madam? ….bank robber? …..head of an international spy ring?"

Alex glared at him as he continued. "…..I know, how about a mouthy, argumentative, irritating, contrary…."

Her expression grew stony "…. gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, incredible woman, who I want to spend the rest of my days wi', handcuffs or no handcuffs."

He looked up at her through his eyelashes and Alex felt herself melt.

"You know, you're a very charming man when you want to be." She told him, a smile edging its way onto her lips.

"The Gene Genie magic has never been known to fail." He studied her face, catching hold of her cuffed hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

She leaned her chin on her free hand, holding his stare. "So then, Mr Hunt. What else do you want to talk about?"

Gene withdrew a crumpled piece of paper from his inside coat pocket. He unfolded it, revealing scribbled writing all over it, and Alex realised that it was a paper napkin.

"Gene, did you actually write things down when you went out for dinner with Ros?"

He shrugged half embarrassed. "She made such sense I didn't want to forget what I was supposed to be saying to you, and we did have rather a lot to drink."

As she bit her lip, trying not to smile, Neil appeared at their table with their food. Gene immediately tucked into his meal, the handcuffs not slowing him down at all, and showed little inclination to stop in order to let her eat any of hers. Alex quickly realised that she would have to cut her steak into bite size pieces and eat it with her left hand. Mind you, she mused, the speed he eats, he'll be done in a few minutes and I can have both hands back. She picked at her chips, waiting for him to finish. Gene glanced up at her, and without a word, reached over and cut up her steak, before going back to his own meal.

"Eat up, Bolly" he told her. "You could do wi' some more meat on that gorgeous rump of yours."

Gene, as ever, seemed disinclined to talk whilst there was food on the table, but after the plates had been cleared away and another bottle of red had appeared, he filled both their glasses and picked up the napkin again.

"Right. Let's talk about this properly. Sensibly. I can't keep running away from you and you can't keep shouting me down."

Alex said nothing, watching his face as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say, remembering that Ros had told her just to let him talk.

"I can't keep fighting wi' you, Bolly. Fletcher was right, what he said, that night in my office. You and me, we're supposed to love each other, not try and rip each other apart. I'm trying to be a better person, Alex, because I don't want to be the man I used to be. He would have gone to Luigi's and got drunk, and left the two of you in that cell. He'd have shouted, and raged, packed his stuff and left you. And to be completely truthful, there's a damn good chance he'd have beaten Tom black and blue in the "wee, small hours", as you put it, if you hadn't been there." He spoke softly, holding her gaze, his eyes cloudy with emotion.

"I don't want to be him any more. You've given me a chance to start again and I don't want to mess it up. That's why I'm doing this…" he waved the napkin in the air, "and this…." he indicated to their joined hands. "If I keep behaving the way I always have done up till now, things will never work between us and that's not what I want to happen."

Blimey, thought Alex, astonished at Gene's insight, Ros is bloody good at this.

He closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "I rang Rosalind when I'd come back upstairs from locking you in that cell with Fletcher." Gene paused and shook his head."Actually, that's not strictly true. I went to Luigi's first, to get blind drunk, but he was closed, so I went back to the station and rang her. She told me to stop reacting like a typical bloke and start thinking like a good copper. Then when we went out for dinner, she really told it to me straight. I had two choices - carry on as I was, maybe lose you as a result, and end up a lonely old bastard, full of regret and misery, or have the guts to try to change. "

"Do you really think you can you do that?" Alex asked him gently. "I can forgive you because I love you, but what are you going to do about Tom? Is it really so bad that he likes blokes and not girls? It doesn't suddenly make him a totally different person, and he's a good bloke, you know Gene."

He looked at the table for a long time, turning his wine glass round and round. When he finally answered, it wasn't at all what Alex had been expecting him to say.

"I miss Sam, Alex. It nags at me like a toothache. It's not so bad now I've got you, but it's not the same. I miss being able to talk to someone the way I could wi' him. Ray and Chris and the rest of the lads are great for a laugh, good company for a drink after work but I can't really talk to them. Can't talk to you either, sometimes. You're too clever, too bloody independent. Fletcher understood what I was talking about, even though he's a bit of a posh bloke himself. I could tell him all sorts of stuff, like I could with Sam. Ros made me see that what I was really angry about was losing a good friend all over again"

He paused and smiled wryly , his gaze distant and full of regret. "Mind you, Sam had plenty of gay-boy tendencies himself. He kept a jar of Annie's face cream in his locker at work. Actually used to put the bloody stuff on! Poofter!" he snorted derisively, but his smile was still in evidence.

"I get the feeling that Sam Tyler was a man ahead of his time in many ways. There is nothing wrong with moisturising your skin after you've shaved." Alex reached out and scraped a finger over the stubble on his chin, hearing it rasp against her nail.

"Don't even think about getting me to do something like that," he warned her, gruffly. "I might be trying to change, but that's a step too far." He sighed heavily, dropping his chin onto his free hand, mirroring Alex's pose.

"Ros made me admit to myself that it wasn't what Fletcher _is_ that made me so bloody furious. It was the thought that you two had a secret, that something was going on between you. I thought for a moment that you and him had been messing around behind my back. I felt like a fool, Alex, and then when I realised that you didn't trust me, I was so bloody angry, it hurt."

He hesitated. Alex remained silent, but squeezed his fingers reassuringly.

"I was jealous. You left me out, and I thought I'd lost both of you. Tom's important because he's a good mate, but you… you're everything to me Alex. You've turned my whole bloody life upside down. I'm seeing a future where there wasn't one. Bloody hell, I'm even considering things career-wise that I'd never have done before, all because of you."

He stopped, shaking his head in disbelief, and then gave a disgusted grimace. "Jesus Christ, I'm whinging away like a right nancy-boy. Sod being a grown-up, I need another drink. Several in fact."

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Exactly how they ended up in Soho, Alex couldn't quite work out. She could remember going to several other pubs on the way from Convent Garden to where they were now, but the actual decision-making process had become blurry. She was still firmly handcuffed to Gene, although he'd finally admitted that he did have the keys on him when she'd announced that she had to go to the Ladies and how exactly was she meant to do that whilst attached to him. He'd only undone them after he'd made her promise to put them back on again when she returned.

Now they were leaning against the bar in a pub on Old Compton Street and Alex was hoping that Gene was good deal drunker than she was, as she realised that she'd just brought him into a gay pub. Something in her alcohol-fuelled brain must have been on autopilot, as she was fairly sure this was where she'd used to drink sometimes as a student.

He looked round blearily, taking the fact that Alex was the only woman in the place apart from the barmaid. She met his gaze and to her relief he roared with laughter, his eyes shining.

"If this is a test Bolly, it's bloody good job I'm this drunk."

She grinned back. "Being in here's not the test. The test is you standing at the bar on your own while I go and powder my nose. I'll have a vodka please," she told him, holding out her wrist for him to unlock the cuffs. He gave her a wicked look before waving her away.

"I can cope without you for a while. I'll just stay right here, wi' my back against the bar."

He gave her a cheeky wink as she glared at him reprovingly.

Alex didn't mean to take to so long, but as she came out of the Ladies she got collared by a very exotic young man, who asked her how she did her eye make-up. Alex found herself far too inebriated to explain, and ended up back in the Ladies, making-up his eyes like hers and adding blusher to his cheekbones.

"You need to get a handbag, sweetie," he told her, watching as she zipped her few items of make-up back into the inside pockets of her jacket.

"In my job, there's no way I can carry a handbag," she grinned. "It would only get in the way"

The young man tipped his head to one side, admiring his reflection. "Lovely" he told her with a beaming smile. "We're off clubbing now. Want to come with us?"

"Which club?" asked Alex.

"The Wag." He gave her an appraising look. "It's OK. You'll just about pass in what you're wearing. Maybe lose the jacket, show a bit more cleavage."

Alex grinned. "It won't work, jacket or no jacket. The doorman will take one look at who I'm with and refuse point-blank to let us in."

The young man frowned "Worth a try, isn't it?"

Alex took his arm and led him down to the front of pub where Gene was still leaning on the bar. He was having a very involved conversation with half a dozen other men, waving his arms around enthusiastically. His hair flopped over his face, his tie was skewed below his left ear and his suit was so creased he looked as though he'd slept in it.

"See that bloke there?" Alex told her companion, who nodded. "That's who I'm with. Now tell me we'll get into the Wag."

"Not a hope in hell, I'm afraid sweetie." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before waving to his friends who were waiting at the door. "Shame. Have a good night, wherever you end up."

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Where they ended up was the Raymond Revue Bar, watching the strippers; Gene's logic being that as Alex had taken him into a gay pub and made him feel uncomfortable, then he should be allowed to choose the next drinking venue.

Alex had laughed at his blatantly innocent stare "But you were OK in the pub. I found you talking about bloody football. Anyway strip clubs don't make me feel uncomfortable. I quite like them actually." Now as they sat watching the show, Gene leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"I'm remembering what you did last time you were in a strip club, Alex, an' it's making me horny." He gazed at her, his face lit up with a lecherous grin.

They watched the dancers for a while longer, before Gene grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the exit.

"Gene! You haven't finished your drink!"

He pulled her close to him. "Don't care. I want you Alex" he growled, his breath hot against her ear. "Not those girls on the stage. None of them comes even close to you. I've never had anyone in my life that I've wanted or needed as much as you. All of you, all the time."

He pushed the length of his body against hers, his hand on her arse, holding her against him. "I'm takin' you home, an' I'm gonna shag you so hard, you won't be able to stand up."

Alex felt a pulse start to beat between her legs and she squirmed with desire. She pushed her fingers into his hair, drawing his mouth down to hers, her tongue flickering over his. She felt rather then heard the groan that issued from him as she ground her hips against his.

"We'd best find a taxi, then," she purred, running a hand up the inside of his thigh.

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They hailed a cab on Shaftesbury Avenue and Gene pulled Alex's hand into his coat pocket to hide the fact they were still handcuffed together.

"Tell me" he whispered, his mouth against her cheek. "Tell me what it was like kissing that stripper at the Royal Oak, Alex. I want to know."

Alex laughed wickedly, drawing her hand out of his pocket and moving it between his legs. He groaned softly as, she started to stroke him gently through the material of his trousers.

"You really want to know" she asked, teasingly. He nodded, his eyes dark with lust. She put her mouth to his ear and began to whisper, telling him everything, telling him how it had made her feel, and indulging in her fantasy of what might have happened had they continued.

By the time they reached home, Gene was desperate for her, hurling the money for the fare at the cabbie, not waiting for his change. They crashed through the front door, tearing at each other's clothes, biting and licking at each other's skin. Gene ripped her shirt open, and freeing her breasts from the lacy cups of her bra, sucked hard at her flesh, biting at each of her nipples in turn, making Alex moan with pleasure. The feel of his tongue on her skin, warm and wet, made her shake with arousal.

With unsteady hands, she tugged impatiently at his belt, unzipping his trousers and freeing him from his boxers. She took him in her hand, sliding her fingers up and down his length, squeezing him. He groaned, dragging his mouth away from her breast as she wriggled away from him, dropping to her knees. She took all of him into her mouth at once, feeling his legs buckle as she did so. "Bloody hell, Bolly…. god that feels good". His fingers tangled in her hair as her tongue curled around him, her mouth sucking hard. "Oh god Alex... I love it when you suck me….." Gene broke of with a choking gasp, clutching at her hand as she felt him start to swell and twitch in her mouth.

"No" His voice was hoarse. "No….. stop….. I want to be inside you." He pulled her back up his body, undoing her zip and sliding his fingers inside her knickers, his mouth hot on her neck, his teeth nipping at her. Alex pushed her jeans over her hips and kicked one leg out of them, moving her hips frantically against Gene's hand, feeling herself dripping wet against his hand.

He pushed her back against the wall and she wrapped one leg around his waist as he slid a hand under the cheek of her arse, lifting her up. Their cuffed hands rested up against the wall by Alex's head, holding themselves steady. Gene's breathing came in short, ragged gasps as he slid into her, thrusting hard and fast. Alex moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulder, urging her hips against him. "Oh….. yes…. harder…. please Gene… please…" He sped up, pushing into her relentlessly, the force of his thrusts making Alex grunt through her gritted teeth. "Ohhh...god...I'm gonna come...oh god..."

She threw back her head and shouted out as the force of her orgasm surged through her, feeling Gene explode into her, groaning, his thrusts taking him as deep into her as possible.

She could feel him shaking as they both recovered and he rested his head on her shoulder, still pinning her against the wall as he fought to get his breath back. As he slipped out of her gently, Alex gasped, trembling as she slowly eased her leg down to the floor.

He laughed softly and pulled her against him as he felt in his jacket pocket. "I think it's probably safe to take these off now," he said, as he unlocked the cuffs from their wrists.

Alex grinned at him. "My legs are shaking too much to even walk, let alone do a runner."

He took her hand, leading her up the stairs to their bedroom. "I haven't finished with you yet, Alex."

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They shared a bath together, taking it turns to soap each other, slowly and thoroughly. After she'd dried herself, Alex began to rub moisturising oil into her skin, leaving it soft and supple. Without a word, Gene took the bottle from her, covering his hands with oil. He held her gaze as he slipped them over her back and down to the cheeks of her arse. Alex closed her eyes and hummed with pleasure.

He knelt in front of her, his mouth burning hot against her skin, working his way up her thighs. He held her hips and gently licked her, lapping her clit, sliding his tongue into her. Alex grabbed his hair, pulling him closer and he groaned into her, his grip on her hips tightening. He covered her with his mouth, kissing and sucking at her tender flesh and she felt herself explode, holding onto his shoulders as she writhed against him.

When she was capable of coherent thought, she realised that he hadn't moved, his cheek still pressed against her thigh, his hands still hot and smooth on her skin. "Want you again, Alex. " he whispered. "Want to fuck you again"

She laughed softly, reaching down and taking his hand, slipping his fingers inside her.

"Oh god, yes please, Gene, need you inside me...feel how wet you've made me" she whispered in reply.

She felt him shake his head at her words. "No, not there Alex…. here."

His fingers slipped from her, moving round to stroke the cheeks of her arse, spreading them gently. Alex felt her legs go weak as she realised what he wanted and her stomach contracted with lust. She moved away from him without replying and heard his soft, sigh of disappointment. At the door of the bathroom, she paused and looked back at him. "Bring the oil with you. It'll make things easier," she told him with a wicked smile, as he let out a groan of delight.

Alex stretched herself out on the bed as Gene moved to kneel beside her. Her body still hummed and tingled with the aftershocks of her orgasm, and the heat from Gene's hands seared into her skin as he moved them, slippery with the oil, over her body. He leaned down and kissed her urgently, his teeth nipping at her lower lip, drawing it into his mouth. His hands moved to the cheeks of her arse, parting them, his fingers sliding inside, stretching her, making her ready for him. Alex whimpered with desire, raising her hips up off the bed and Gene slid his free hand round under her, lifting her up towards him.

She felt him shift slightly, then his fingers were gone, and she could feel his cock against her, hot and slick. He eased into her slowly, the breath hissing through his teeth. "Jesus, Alex…. fucking hell…. that feels so good…." Alex moaned at the incredible feeling of him inside her, arching her back and pushing herself against him. He held himself still for a moment, breathing hard, muttering wordless obscenities, his chest pressed against her back, his mouth against her shoulder, and Alex felt him tremble as he fought for control.

"You OK?" he finally managed, his voice hoarse and strained.

She nodded and arched against him again, her breath coming in short gasps, unable to speak. He pushed deeper into her and Alex thought she that she would faint with pleasure. It was so acute, so exquisite, she couldn't bear it. She sobbed with the intensity of it . "Ohhhh….. oh god…..christ……."

"More?" He was panting now, the words wrenched from him, his whole body shaking with the effort of holding back.

"Yes…. more… all of you……so good…..don't stop "

Gene took hold of her once more, pulling her closer, his thrusts slowly increasing in depth and power. His fingers gripped her flesh hard, and he grunted with each movement of his hips. Alex flung back her head in an agony of pleasure, a scream ripped from her throat, her fingers clawing at the mattress, winding the sheet tightly in her fists. She bucked against him as she came, the heat roaring through her like liquid fire, wave after wave of sensation flowing over her. She felt Gene surge into her, as deep as he could, spilling inside her, with an agonized groan. "Ohhh…. Alex….ohhh god …. love you……love you so much…"

He eased her back down onto the bed, laying across her back, shattered and panting. He kissed her shoulders, one hand finding hers and gripping it tightly.

"Bloody hell," was all he could manage.

"That was incredible" Alex, whispered, every inch of her body glowing, her limbs heavy and languid. She reached out and pulled the duvet up over them both, Gene shifting his body so that he lay curled around her, her back against his chest. He wrapped an arm and leg over her tightly, as exhaustion swept over them both.

"Alex?" Gene's whisper cut through the sleepy silence.

"What?" she replied drowsily.

"I love you"

She smiled, reaching up a hand to stroke his cheek. "I know".

"Cheeky mare!" Alex could hear the smile in his voice. "You're supposed to say it back to me."

"I love you, Gene. I love you more than anything else in this world."

"That's better" he murmured softly, as they drifted off to sleep.


	38. Chapter 38

**Right. They've climbed out of the filth pit that they fell into in the last chapter. (Shame, but I live in hope they'll find it again) This is just the two of them, day off from work, little bit of drama. You know the sort of thing. Pure fluff really.**

Alex left Gene in bed the next morning and walked back to Fenchurch East to collect the Quattro. She loved the City at weekends, it was always virtually deserted, save for the few tourists round St Pauls, and the streets were cold and quiet. It gave her a chance to think about everything that Gene had told her over dinner last night. She'd been astounded by his honesty, and by his very obvious desire to make their relationship work. The issue with Tom still worried her though, but that would take more time to sort out, even though Gene had been far more reasonable about it than she'd ever dared to hope.

She knew that she still had to talk to him about the work situation, as well. As much as she loved being part of the CID team, she realised that it was not going to be the best thing for them to continue to work together. There would always be something that they clashed over and that wasn't acceptable now that they were together all the time. She wondered what Gene had meant about "considering things career-wise" - maybe the Superintendent had finally outlined his plans to Gene.

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When she got back home, she found Gene cooking breakfast for them both and the smell of bacon made her realise just how ravenous she was. She slid her arms round his waist from behind as he stood at the cooker, clad only in a pair of boxers. His skin was still damp from the shower and he smelt of soap, shampoo and Paco Rabanne. Mmmm, yum, thought Alex, as she dropped a kiss on his bare shoulder, laughing as he twisted away from the hob, swearing, as the hot bacon fat spat onto his bare chest.

"Ow! Sodding Hell!" He scowled at her. "It's not funny, Bolly."

"Oh, I think it is" she laughed.

"Be nice to me, or I won't cook you any" he warned her, his eyes sparkling.

She leaned forward and kissed him, slowly and thoroughly, her hands sliding down inside his boxer shorts to cup the cheeks of his arse.

"Nice enough?" she asked him archly.

He gave her a considering pout. "Nice enough for now. You can show me more nice things after breakfast if you like."

"OK. Let me a have a quick shower and I'll be back down."

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As soon as she'd finished her bacon and scrambled eggs, Gene grabbed her hand, pulling her back up the stairs.

"And where do you think you're taking me?" she laughed.

Back to bed, Bolly. You've had your breakfast, and you promised me nice things afterwards."

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did," he told her firmly. "Now shut up and let me concentrate."

She gasped as he pulled the belt of her dressing gown undone, pushing her backwards onto the bed, stripping his boxers off, and kissing his way up her body, his fingers stroking her skin. His mouth found her breast, licking at the sensitive flesh, his teeth nipping gently.

"See Alex, this is nice" he purred.

Alex writhed against him, murmuring in agreement, her hands sliding down over his hips. He reached down and caught her wrists, lifting them back up so that they stretched out over her head. He kissed his way along her collarbone, licking and biting at her neck, trailing kisses along her jaw. He raised his head and gazed at her, watching her face as he moved his hips on hers, nudging against her, sliding into her infinitely slowly. Alex caught her lower lip between her teeth and moaned.

"Is that nice too, Bolly?"

"Oh god, yes" Alex's breath caught in her throat as he began to move in her, his rhythm slow and languid, her hands still gripped tightly in his, the whole length of his body pressed against hers. Alex angled her hips upwards, circling them against him, wrapping her legs round him, taking him deeper.

"Nicer?" she teased, rocking gently against him.

"Bloody Hell… much nicer," Gene breathed, his mouth on hers. Letting go of her hands, he pushed himself up onto his elbows. He slipped an arm under her knee, pulling her leg up to her chest, pushing in deeper. The sensation was overwhelming and Alex dug her fingernails into his back, groaning as his thrusts changed pace, harder and faster.

"Keep thinking of you an' me last night, Bols. How bloody sexy it was."

Alex arched against him. "Oh god…..you keep talking about that and I'm gonna come so hard," she gasped.

"Go on then" he growled "Come as hard as you did last night, when I was buried deep in you…. fucking you so hard in the…." He broke off with a grunt, shuddering as he spilled into her. Alex held onto him tightly, feeling herself pulsing round him, the molten heat spreading throughout her body, making her shake and cry out.

He rolled over onto his side, pulling her with him, kissing her neck gently. Alex licked his shoulder, trailing her tongue along his scar, loving the sharp, salty taste of his skin. She grazed her teeth gently over his throat and he growled lazily with pleasure.

"So you liked it last night then?" she asked him, teasingly.

"I should bloody say so. Trouble is, now you've ruined me for other women, with your filthy ways, Alex Drake. I didn't think posh birds did that kind of thing."

"Posh birds do lots of filthy things, but only under the influence of thoroughly bad men such as yourself." Alex told him, in mock severity. "Anyway, so what if I've ruined you. I know they inexplicably seem to throw themselves at you, but there's not going to be any more women for you, Gene Hunt. Not whilst I'm around."

"Good. You can chase them all away, Bolly. It gets exhausting after a while, being this irresistible." He paused and gave her a playfully hurt look. "What do mean, inexplicably? There's nothing inexplicable about it, it's the Gene Genie charm, that's what it is."

She grinned, kissing his mouth, biting gently at his lower lip. "I'm sorry. Of course it is. It's your charm. Nothing at all to do with that tall, broad-shouldered, incredibly sexy body of yours. Not to mention your mesmerising eyes, and that smile. Do you have _any_ idea at all, what happens to most women when you look at them like that?…. And then you do that growly thing with your voice….. and the pout…..Oh, don't get me started on the pout……" She groaned and bit his neck. "It's just so sexy. It just makes women melt, even when they're angry with you."

He laughed. "So did I make you melt, Bolly?"

"Absolutely. Almost right from the very start, even though I didn't like you very much at the time."

"When? Tell me exactly when I first made you melt." He grinned at her, his eyes shinning.

"That night in Luigi's. When I asked you what you'd do with the last few seconds of life. God, I wanted you so much. Good job you went home when you did. It would've been a disaster if we'd slept together then."

"I know. That's why I left. Do you know how much willpower it took for me to walk away from you that night?" He laughed. "Now look at us. Shacked up together, working things out like grown-ups, still shagging like teenagers." He kissed her hungrily. "Last night was incredible Alex. Not just the sex, although that was mind-blowing, the whole evening was amazing."

She nodded, wriggling closer to him. "Yes, it was, all of it. I can definitely see the appeal of being handcuffed to you." She stroked his chest, dragging her nails lightly across his skin. "So tell me" Alex asked him gently, voicing the thought that had occured to her on her walk earlier. "Why is it OK for us to do what we did last night, but not OK for Tom to do it with another man?" She held his gaze, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "I mean, it's essentially the same thing, just a different combination of equipment." She grinned at Gene's obvious confusion.

He got up out of bed, kissing her lightly on the nose as he did so. "Do you want to know what irritates me most about taking up with an intelligent, educated woman like you Bolly?" he teased.

She shook her head, still smiling.

"You ask me questions that I can't answer."

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Half an hour later, Alex was trying to write her shopping list and Gene was making her lose concentration by constantly adding new items to it. In the end, Alex threw down her pen in frustration. "Oh for God's sake, if you want all this stuff, you'll have to come with me."

He frowned tetchily "I hate shopping. Can't I just wait in the bookies for you?"

Alex shook her head. "No. If you're going to ask for vague items such as "nice chocolate biscuits" and "some of those razor blades from the advert off the telly", you can come and choose them yourself. I'll only get it wrong."

Gene sighed and she looked at him in exasperation. "It's your own fault, you know. If you were grown-up enough to apologise to Tom, you could have gone to football with him, and I'd have had to do this by myself."

"Suppose so" he muttered, sulkily. "But when we've finished, I'm coming straight home to sit on the sofa and read the papers, til it's time for Grandstand."

Alex laughed. "And what am I supposed to do while you're doing that?"

"You can pamper me Bolly. Fetch my whisky, feed me biscuits, make sure I'm kept in the manner to which I have very quickly become accustomed."

She folded the list into the back pocket of her jeans. "Let's get this over with, and then I promise you a long, lazy afternoon. I'm not hanging around to wait on you though. I'll give Ros a call and maybe pop round to hers for tea."

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Although the supermarket was within walking distance, Gene insisted on driving up to Liverpool Road. "I'm not lugging all that shopping back. You can put in all in the boot of the car, it'll be quicker."

Once inside the shop, he swept imperiously up and down the aisles, dragging the trolley behind him as aggressively as he drove. Alex gave up trying to find any of the items on her list, realising that she'd just have to grin and bear it until he was finished. He quickly found everything he wanted, turning to Alex with a triumphant smile.

"Right, that's me done. I'll wait for you in the car."

With that, he was gone, striding towards the entrance, feeling in his pockets for his cigars. Alex knew better than to try to stop him, given that his tolerance levels for any type of domestic chore were incredibly low. He'd left the car round the corner from the supermarket, in Tolpuddle Street, disregarding any parking restrictions as usual. As they'd pulled up, a traffic warden had approached them, only for Gene to step from the Quattro, draw himself up to his full height, and flash his badge at him. "Police business" he'd snapped, and the man had taken one look at the scowl that accompanied the words and backed off.

Alex was finished in good time, hauling the bags round the corner and loading them into the boot. Gene looked up from the copy of Racing Post that he'd acquired from somewhere. "I'm just going round the corner to the bookies" he told her.

"OK. I'll go into the second-hand bookshop while you do that. I need something to read in between tending to your needs."

He grabbed her hand as they walked, steering her across the road, typically not waiting at any of the crossings, just launching himself into the Saturday morning traffic. He walked tall, ignoring the oncoming vehicles, totally secure in the knowledge that they would stop to let him pass, and miraculously they made it to the other side of Upper Street without mishap. Gene disappeared into the smoky, fetid atmosphere of the bookies and Alex immersed herself in the peaceful, musty aroma of old books.

She browsed the shelves, choosing a few books for herself, as well as half a dozen for Gene. She was getting quite good at working out which authors he liked, and with every stack of familiar titles, she always included something new that he'd never tried before. Slowly but surely, Gene was becoming much more well read, reading everything she bought for him, offering no comment until he'd finished. Alex made a note of the authors he liked, as well as those he pronounced, "utter bollocks." Reassuringly, there were very few of the latter.

She was just taking her armful of books to the counter, when hearing sirens, she looked up to see an ambulance pulling up in front of the shoe shop opposite. As she watched, the crew unloaded the stretcher and raced inside. A crowd started to gather in the doorway. She paid hurriedly, asking the bookseller if she could possibly collect them later. Alex was a regular customer of his and he was very happy to oblige. She quickly left the shop, crossing the road at a run, her copper's reflexes kicking in instantly.

Pushing through the tight knot of nosey shoppers, she made her way to the front door of the shop. The ambulance crew were wheeling the stretcher back, a woman in obvious pain curled up under the blankets. Following close behind were three children, and more worryingly,, so was DS Bartlett, his face pale and anxious.

Alex caught his arm. "Dave. What's happened? Anything I can do?"

He looked her wildly and Alex saw that it took him a moment to recognise her.

"It's my Sue! She's gone into labour! It's too early, the baby's coming too soon!"

He was frantic. "I don't know what to do! I've got the kids with me. I can't take them to the hospital."

Alex took hold of his shoulders, turning him to face her. "David, look at me. Concentrate. Is there anyone we can ring to look after the children? Your Mum? Anyone?"

He shook his wildly. "No. My Mum's got the nipper, but she can't cope with all four them. She's had 'flu and she's still not right. Sue's Mum and sister have gone to Tenerife for a week. They won a holiday at the Bingo at New Year. There's no one else….. I can maybe ring some friends but..." he broke off, watching in despair, as Sue was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Alex could hear her sobbing with pain and fear, and Dave's eyes filled with tears. She realised that the usually unflappable DS Bartlett was on the verge of falling apart. She turned to look at the children, standing huddled the door of the shop and made a split second decision.

"I'll look after them. They can come back to my house. You can collect them when everything's OK."

"You can't do that, Boss! What will the Guv say?"

"Bugger what the Guv will say. He'll be fine with it. Just concentrate on Sue and the baby. The children will be OK with Gene and me. I promise."

She dragged her shopping list out of her pocket and marched to the cash desk. "Pen!" she barked at the startled shop assistant. A distant part of brain realised that she'd definitely spent too much time with Gene, as she wrote down her address and phone number for Bartlett. As an afterthought, she added Ros's phone number as well. If looking after three kids got too much to cope with, she could always ask her for some help.

As she returned to the front of the shop, she saw Dave kneeling down and talking to his children, evidently telling them what was going to happen. A tall figure pushed through the crowd of people on the pavement, revealing itself to be Gene. Alex filled him in quickly, out of earshot of Bartlett, in case he made any of his usual insensitive remarks. He said nothing as she explained, looking over her shoulder at the children and his DS. Alex really didn't know how he was going to react to the news that three small children would be sharing his weekend with him. As usual, he surprised her completely.

"Well done, Alex. Good call. Dave, where's your car parked?"

"Almost up by Highbury Corner, Guv."

"Right. Too far to waste time fetching it. They're taking her to St Barts. I'll drive you."

How could she have ever thought him uncomplicated, wondered Alex. The man had more layers than an onion, each one of them more surprising than the last. She smiled to herself as she remembered where the onion analogy was from. Well, he could be a little ogreish too, at times. She forced her thoughts back to the problem at hand, but as usual Gene was effortlessly in charge of the situation.

"Wait here for me Alex. I'll get someone to stay with him, and then I'll come back and help you."

Bartlett kissed his children goodbye. "It'll be OK. Mummy will be OK, I promise," he told them, putting Alex's contact details in his pocket, before hurrying off with Gene. The ambulance had left already, the sirens fading away down St John's Street.

Alex found herself faced with three scared and confused children. Squashing down the wave of panic that washed over her, she took a deep breath and smiled at them gently.

"I suppose we'd better start with names. I'm Alex. I'm a police officer too, and I work with your Dad. Now, who are you and how old are you?"

The eldest child, dark-haired and dark-eyed like the other two, spoke. "I'm Jack, I'm eight. This Kathy, she's six, and that's Emma, she's four."

Kathy said nothing, hiding behind her brother, but Emma looked at her steadily before announcing. "Our sister Sarah's at home with our Nana. She's only one and three-quarters so she can't have new shoes."

"Is that what you were doing? Buying new shoes?"

Jack nodded. "We needed new ones for school."

"We haven't even tried them on yet, and my old ones have holes in them, and now I can't have new ones because Daddy's gone, and he has to pay for them." Kathy spoke in the rushed, jerky tones of a child about to burst into tears, and Alex spoke hurriedly.

"It's OK. We can still get new shoes. I'll pay for them and sort it out with your Daddy later. Jack why don't you start to have a look and find a pair you like. You too, girls"

Jack looked at her doubtfully. "They're very expensive. Dad said I had to wait for mine 'til he got paid next month." Alex had a suddenly insight into what it must be like for Dave Bartlett, bringing up four, hopefully, five children, on a Detective Sergeant's salary.

She nodded firmly. "Yes, you too Jack. Don't worry about it."

There then followed an eventful half an hour, trying to find them all shoes that they liked, but were still suitable for school. The shop assistant was fantastically helpful, letting Kathy try on several pairs of brightly coloured "grown-up shoes", and letting Emma use the staff loo when she announced she "really, really needed a wee-wee."

They were just paying for everything, when Gene reappeared. He introduced himself, making Jack burst with pride by shaking his hand, admired Kathy in her borrowed 3-inch blue heels, and won Emma's heart immediately by announcing that she couldn't possibly be only four as she looked far too grown-up.

"Right. Who's hungry?" he asked. "I'm starving. Everyone like sausage, beans and chips?"

This suggestion met with universal approval and they walked up the road to the café on Islington Green. The children ran on ahead while Alex and Gene followed at a slower pace, hand-in-hand.

"Who did you get to sit with Dave?"

"Viv. They've known each other for years. Best man for the job, really. Better than I'd be. I'd only go and say the wrong thing."

"How's his wife doing?"

Gene grimaced. "Don't know. They took her off somewhere. Told Dave to wait in the relatives room and they'd let him know what was going on in a bit."

He quickly slapped a smile on his face as the children turned round and ran back to them.

"Is this it? Is this where we're having lunch?" they called, pointing at the café, excitedly.

The children ate ferociously, polishing off everything on their plates, and finding room for a slice of chocolate cake as well. Emma insisted on sitting on Gene's lap to eat hers and to Alex's surprise, Gene made no move to dissuade her, instead pushing his chair further back from the table to give her more room.

"Home?" asked Gene when they'd all finished, raising his eyebrows at Alex. Emma immediately burst into noisy tears.

"Daddy promised us we could go to the park…… he promised!" Her shoulders heaved with sobs, as all her disappointment and anxiety came pouring out.

"Emma! Stop it!" Jack scolded her. "Dad's not here. Mr Hunt doesn't want to go to the park. Don't you remember? Dad told us he doesn't do fun stuff and we have to be good or he'll get all shouty."

Alex fought the urge to laugh, watching as Gene digested this remark, poker faced. He picked up his mug of tea and drained it.

"How far's this park then?" he asked, his face splitting into grin as Emma squealed in delight and flung her arms round his neck.

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"Bang goes my lazy Saturday afternoon." Gene gasped, as he flung himself down on the bench beside Alex. She laughed at him, giving Emma an encouraging wave at the same time, as the little girl climbed carefully up the steps of the small slide.

He scanned the football pitch he'd just vacated with narrowed eyes. "Go on, son, give it a good wallop!" he roared, making Alex jump, as Jack hoofed the ball into the goal. Gene had found the football in the boot of his car, and for the last half an hour, he'd been playing kick-about with Jack. Now that there were other children in the park and small mis-matched teams had formed, Gene had left them to it, pleading exhaustion.

"Sorry about that." Alex took his hand "I didn't know what else to do. Dave was in such a state."

"I know" grimaced Gene. "Poor bloke. I've never seen him like that. He can normally cope with anything." He was silent for a moment. "Still, the doctors can do a lot these days. Modern medicine and all that. I'm sure it'll all be OK."

"I hope so, Gene, but the baby's seven weeks early. The lungs aren't developed properly at that stage and there can be all sorts of complications."

She stopped talking as Kathy came running over from the swings.

"Will you push me please, Alex? I can't make it go as high on my own"

"I have that problem sometimes too." murmured Gene, as Alex went to stand up. "Will you make it go high for me too later on, Bolly?"

"Stop it" she told him, her face stern, but eyes glinting wickedly. "Depends if you behave yourself or not."

She pushed the swing for Kathy, letting her thoughts drift, losing herself in the long forgotten action, back and forth, back and forth. She watched Emma clinging onto the roundabout, Jack with her now, one hand clutching the football. Gene was spinning it, making it go fast and then slowing it down as they both shrieked with delighted terror. His face was gleeful, lit up with same joy as the children's, and Alex found that there was an unexpected ache in her chest at the sight of them.

"Nice in'it?" chirped the young woman pushing her son on the swing next to Kathy.

"What is?" asked Alex, puzzled, not really concentrating, still lost in her contemplation of yet another hidden aspect of Gene's character.

"A Dad who gets involved with 'is kids. Most of 'em are too busy or they've buggered off wiv someone else." She indicated to Gene with a jerk of her head. "You got a good one there. Look at him. He's a big kid himself, in' he?"

Alex was too startled at the young woman's assumption that they were a family to deny it. She stood there, staring at Gene, the heavy feeling in her chest increasing until her throat felt tight and her eyes stung.

He'd have been a good father, despite what he says, she thought fiercely, he just never had a chance. She was surprised at just how emotional she felt, seeing him so relaxed and happy. Oh come, Alex, get a grip, this is just you getting all wobbly about being with children, she remonstrated silently, and concentrated on pushing the swing, forcing herself to think of nothing else but that.

As they walked back to the car, Kathy slipped her hand into Alex's. She took it hesitantly, almost afraid to, dreading the feeling of a small, cold hand in hers. She saw Gene watching her, his face full of concern.

"You OK?" he asked, and she knew what he really meant.

"Yes. I'm fine." She smiled sadly at him. "Too many memories… too many regrets, to be absolutely honest with you."

Even though he was carrying Emma, he reached out and wrapped his free arm round her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Regrets will eat you alive if you let them, Alex. All you can do is try not to make the same mistakes again."

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When they reached finally made it home, via the newsagents for comics, colouring books and felt-tip pens, Gene lit the fire in the sitting room while Alex made them all hot chocolate to warm up. She'd been surprised to find that Gene had dropped the shopping off earlier on his way back from the hospital. He was far more organised than she was, she'd forgotten all about it in the drama of the situation.

Having got the children settled at the kitchen table, and rung Ros, to invite her round for tea with them all, Alex took Gene's new bottle of Laphroaig upstairs to the sitting room, which was warm and cosy by now. She drew the heavy velvet curtains on the rapidly darkening sky and turned back to find him asleep on the sofa. She shook her head, smiling softly, as she saw how peaceful he looked, the grim lines round his eyes and mouth softened by sleep.

She made her way back down to the kitchen, getting there just in time to see Ros's booted feet make their way past the window. She flew back up the stairs and opened the front door just as Ros went to ring the bell.

"Ros! Am I glad to see you!" Alex gave her friend a big hug, before taking her coat and hanging it up for her.

Ros smiled. "I take it things are all OK between you and Gene, then?"

"They're great Ros, really great. I can't thank you enough for what you did. Look, come down into the kitchen, and I'll get you a drink and introduce you to my guests."

Ros and the children hit it off immediately, helped greatly by her ability to draw the most wonderful pictures. Alex left them to it, putting the shopping away and tidying up the kitchen, still cluttered with the breakfast things. She made mounds of sandwiches and in a burst of rare domesticity, managed, with Kathy's help, to produce a batch of fruit scones that didn't look all that bad when she took them out of the oven. Gene appeared behind her, as she did so, blinking blearily, his hair sticking out at random angles.

"Something smells good. Don't tell me you've actually used the oven Bolly. I though you'd forgotten how to turn it on."

"One more remark like that, and I'll forget how to turn something else on, if you're not careful," she whispered, smoothing his hair down into some semblance of order.

Tea was a riotous affair, the mood only broken by the sound of the telephone. Jack stopped laughing at Ros, and his face grew tense. Neither of the girls noticed and carried on eating happily. Gene gave Alex a look that spoke volumes.

"You get it please, Alex" he told her, and she knew he wasn't up to dealing with the potential bad news. He could cope with most things in his persona of "The Guv", but this involved one of his team and it was all too emotional for him.

Two minutes later, Alex came back downstairs. She met Gene's eyes, the expression on his face just as anxious as the children's. She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile as she sat down at the table again. Jack, Kathy and Emma all gazed at her solemnly.

"Mummy's fine and you have a new baby brother," she told them gently. "He's very small and he's got to stay in hospital for a few weeks but he's doing OK for now."

"Is Daddy coming to get us? Can we see the baby.?" asked Kathy.

Alex shook her head. "Not yet. He's too tiny at the moment. You can see a picture of him though, tomorrow. Daddy's asked if it's OK for you to stay here for tonight and he'll come and collect you in the morning." Alex looked up at Gene, worried that this would be too much for him to cope with. He grinned at her.

"Fine by me. No staying up late though, kids. Alex and I are both old and knackered and we need our sleep," he told them seriously, his eyes gleaming with suppressed mirth.

Ros crowed with laughter as Emma then proceeded to ask Gene exactly how old he really was, and had he ever seen a real dinosaur, or met Queen Victoria, as she was very old too.

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Early on Sunday morning, Alex was lying curled up against Gene, half asleep, concentrating only on the immensely pleasurable feeling of his hands stroking her body. She let out a small gasp as he bit gently at her shoulder and feeling him hard against her, she arched herself back against him, only to freeze as she realised that she was being watched.

"Er… Gene…. Stop a minute." she whispered. "We've got company."

"Mmmm…. What?" He raised his head to look and laughed. Jack, Kathy and Emma were peering round the bedroom door. "Morning kids. You hungry?"

They all nodded. Gene smiled at them. "Right. Off you go. Give me and Alex a minute and then we'll be down to make you some breakfast."

They disappeared and Alex heard them giggling as they went downstairs. Gene pulled her back against him again. "Now where were we, Bolly?" he growled, his teeth at her shoulder again.

She laughed. "Oh no you don't! Not with three children who aren't even ours in the house! We could scar them for life if they catch us at it!" She wriggled round to face him, kissing him hungrily. "Not that I wouldn't love to take up where we left off, but it'll have to be later on."

He regarded her steadily, his eyes dark with lust. "I'll remember you said that, Alex. Now go and start the breakfast. I'll be down in a minute. I'm not fit to walk anywhere at the moment."

Five minutes later, Gene joined her in the kitchen, his expression unreadable as he helped Emma butter her toast. He got up to fill the kettle up and dropped a kiss on the back of Alex's neck as he stood behind her at the worktop. "Not so much fun doing it without you, Bolly," he whispered.

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DS Bartlett came to collect his children an hour later. He looked exhausted, but happy.

"I can't thank you enough, Boss. You've really helped me out. I hope they weren't too much trouble."

Alex shook her head "They were good as gold. How's the baby doing?"

"He's OK. Still got a long way to go before he can come home, but they're pretty hopeful that he'll make it."

He turned to Gene "I'm sorry I ruined your weekend, Guv."

Gene grinned at him. "You didn't. We had a great time."

DS Barlett looked at him in astonishment, clearly not expecting such a response from his famously acerbic Governor. He took the children's coats from Alex and the bags containing their new shoes.

"Come on then, you lot. Gran's back from holiday now. You can spend the day with her."

He shepherded them down the front steps to the car and as they went, Jack's voice drifted back to Alex.

"You were wrong, Dad! He's not grumpy at all. He took us to the park, an' played football, an' bought us chocolate and comics, an' everything!"

She glanced sideways at Gene and caught his unguarded expression of pure delight, before he noticed she was looking at him. He glared at her fiercely, daring her to comment, before turning away.

"Right. Where's my bloody newspaper, Bolly? Today, nothing is going to make me move from that damn sofa."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Really? I thought I had a promise from earlier this morning to keep."

"Good point, Alex," he growled lecherously. "Get your gorgeous arse up those stairs now."


	39. Chapter 39

"_Bastards!_ Sodding bastards! Evil, twisted, disrespectful, Cockney _scum!_ Someone's going to pay for this!," roared Gene, furiously, pacing up and down the pavement outside the house, almost incandescent with rage.

"It's just the tyres Gene. They haven't done any other damage. I think you need to get this in perspective" Alex spoke calmly, arms folded, leaning against the Quattro.

"That is _not_ the point, Alex! They've touched my bloody car! _Bastards!_ No one would have dared do this back in Manchester. They all knew I'd have ripped their heart out and made them eat it just for looking at it the wrong way!" Gene glared at her, his face twisted with anger. "It's about respect Alex, and someone needs to learn the bloody rules!"

Alex sighed, knowing that despite the tantrum, Gene was making a valid point. She'd checked all the other vehicles parked in the road and none of them had been touched in any way. Only the Quattro would appear to have been deliberately targeted, all four of its tyres slashed to ribbons. It wasn't just a casual act of vandalism either. To damage the tyres that badly, would have taken sometime, even using an extremely sharp knife. Alex doubted that it was just local kids being a nuisance. Somebody obviously felt that they had a point to make.

"Look, we'll get it sorted out. Let's just get to work and then we can arrange to get the tyres replaced."

Gene sniffed sulkily, his mouth still twisted into a disgusted grimace. "You stay at here. I'll leave you the keys and you can wait for the mechanic."

Alex looked at him in disbelief. "No way, Gene! I've got work to do this morning. I'm not some little housewife who runs your errands!"

He drew himself up, ready to argue with her, before visibly reigning himself in. He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "No, you're not, Alex. Sorry."

She bit back a smile. He was learning, slowly. "Ros has a car she lets me drive. We can use that today. I'll just go and get the keys."

Two minutes later, Alex led him round the corner to Ros's garage, pulled open the doors and stood back in excited silence as Gene looked inside.

"Oh no! No way, Bolly! You are not getting me in that car!"

She frowned at him "Why not? It's beautiful!"

"It's very beautiful, but I'm still not getting in it."

She glared at him. "Well, I think you're just being silly now. I'll let you drive."

Gene snorted. "Alex, who do you think I am? Leslie bloody Phillips!" He turned and stomped off down the road.

"Where are you going now?" Alex called after him, bemused by his attitude.

"It's a bird's motor, and I'm not having anything to do with it! I'm going to ring Ray to come and pick me up."

"Suit yourself! I'll see you later!"

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Alex spent the day visiting all the men who'd been attacked by Michael Weston. She'd called in at Collier Street first to let Tom know the details, but he'd been in the middle of an interview, so she'd only had a minute with him. His shoulders had visibly sagged when Alex had told him about Weston's suicide.

"It's OK" she'd reassured him. "It's sorted it all out. There's no need to worry. I'll tell you everything when you've got more time."

"Thanks, Lexi. Are you free for a drink later? I'll give you a call."

Alex had nodded. "Yes, a drink would be great. Let me know when and where."

He'd ducked back inside the interview room, with a relieved smile and Alex had continued on her way to see Stuart Miller, the first name on her list. In each of her conversations with the victims, she stuck to the version of events that she and Gene had written up in their official report; Weston had been identified as their attacker by the descriptions given by some of his victims and by the arson attack on Tom's house, but because he'd committed suicide, once the inquest had been held, the case would be closed. Should any more evidence come to light, they would of course, let them all know. All the men accepted her explanation with out comment, relieved that it was all over.

The last visit she had to make was to Laurence Holt's widow, Sarah, who lived in Thornhill Crescent, a few streets away from Upper Street, in Barnsbury. She'd phoned first to check that it was convenient to call round, and as she rang the front doorbell, she felt unusually nervous.

"That's because you know far too much about this case, Alex Drake." She muttered to herself. "Some people would call it a guilty conscience."

A short, grey-haired woman in her sixties opened the door. She looked suspiciously at Alex and insisted on seeing her warrant card.

"Hmm. My daughter didn't mention anything about you being a woman. Are you sure you're a DI? You look awfully young to be in a position of such authority. Shouldn't you have someone more senior with you?"

Alex decided to ignore all of these rather insulting remarks, smiling sweetly at the woman instead.

"If I might have few moments with Mrs Holt? As I said on the telephone, I have some more information about her husband's death."

The older woman sniffed disapprovingly, and indicated for her to step inside. Alex was just about to do so, when another woman of about her own age appeared at the door. She was thin and pale, with long, curly brown hair and soft, blue eyes. She grabbed a bunch of keys from a table in the hall, clutching her handbag and coat under one arm as she pushed past the older woman without looking at her.

"Detective Inspector Drake? I'm Sarah Holt. How kind of you to come and collect me in person." She was smiling but her eyes were anxious as she gave Alex a frantic glance. "Now, I won't be long Mother. The Inspector just wants me to go over a few things down at the station, don't you?" She widened her eyes at Alex, who reacted on cue, despite having no idea what she playing along with.

"Yes, that's right. We won't be long. I'll have her back her in no time."

Sarah was out of the door by now and Alex hurried down the front path after her. Sarah's mother remained standing on the doorstep, completely thrown by the speed of events.

"Wait! Sarah! I'll come with you! You shouldn't be on your own at a time like this!"

Sarah Holt took no notice and Alex quickly opened the door of the Jag for her. As soon as she was safely in the car, Alex sped away, pretending not to see the stout figure bustling down the path towards them. She drove fast, putting a good distance between them and the house before pulling over and surveying her passenger.

Sarah Holt gave her a guilty smile. "Sorry about that. I just needed to get away from her. She's been driving me mad for the last few days. I just want her to go home and leave me alone to get on with things."

Alex smiled sympathetically. "I get the picture. Now, where do you want to go to talk? Do you really want to go to the station?"

Sarah shrugged. "No, that was just an excuse. I'd rather not, if that's OK with you. A coffee shop would probably be OK, as long as it's not on Islington High Street. There's far too much chance of bumping into someone who knows me. I just know I'm going to cry and I'd rather not do that in public."

Alex hesitated for a moment, before making a suggestion. "My house?" she asked. "It's just down the road and no-one will see you there. We can have a cup of tea and big slice of cake while we talk."

Sarah nodded. "OK"

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Alex showed her downstairs into the kitchen, and as she searched the cupboards for cake, Sarah looked at the photos on the bookshelves.

"Is this you and your husband?" she asked, indicating to a picture that Ray had taken of Alex and Gene in Luigi's on Christmas Eve. They'd been sitting at the table, arms round each other, legs entwined underneath it. Alex was laughing into the camera and Gene was gazing at her, his expression clearly betraying how he felt.

Ros had taken one look at it and had pounced on it in triumph. "That's what I meant on that first afternoon I met you both! See, Alex – he looks at you as though no one else exists! "

Alex had blushed, secretly pleased and had quietly framed the photo. Gene had said nothing, beyond looking at it and replacing it on the bookshelf with a non-committal "Hmmpf" that could have meant anything, but Alex had seen the smile that had tugged at the corners of his mouth as he'd done so.

Alex shook her head in answer to Sarah's query as she continued her search for the Victoria sponge that she remembered buying.

"No, he's not my husband. He's my… well.. I don't know what you'd call him really… boyfriend is certainly _not_ the right word for a man like him….. we live together. We're an item….. a permanent item..... a couple." She felt herself grinning like a schoolgirl admitting her first crush. She straightened up, realising she was babbling, finding the mugs for tea.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I promised you cake, but it would appear that it's all been eaten. I'd forgotten that children have such huge appetites. Will biscuits be an acceptable substitute instead?"

Sarah smiled. "Biscuits will be fine. How many children have you got?"

Alex was only half listening. "Only the one" She stopped, momentarily thrown. "No…that's not true…. I used to have…how odd that I said that….." She closed her eyes in confusion before taking a breath and starting again.

"I had a daughter. She's …. not with me any more. We had a colleague's children staying with us for the weekend."

Sarah came over and sat down at the table. "I'm really sorry about your daughter. Do you miss having children? " she asked, her face betraying her need. "I've always wanted children. It was never going to happen of course. Not with Laurence being gay."

Alex sighed, hearing the yearning in Sarah's voice, knowing she had to answer her honestly. "I don't miss her as much as I did. You learn to live with everything in the end, I suppose." Alex considered the next part of her answer carefully and surprised herself with it. "I do miss having children, though. A couple of months ago, I would have categorically stated that I didn't, but now, I really honestly don't know what to think. This weekend was proof of that." She thought of Kathy's small, chilly hand clutching hers tightly and felt her eyes begin to sting with tears.

Blinking them away hastily, she placed the tea and biscuits down on the table between them, more than a little shaken at how she felt. She changed the subject quickly to stop her thoughts dwelling on such a contentious subject.

"So how long have you known about Laurence?"

Sarah laughed bitterly. "I suppose I've always known that there wasn't something quite right about our relationship, but I never really knew what it was until I overheard a phone call a few years ago, between Laurence and a good friend of ours. We'd both known Tom since we were children, but I'd never suspected anything between them. After that, it all fell into place."

Alex winced in sympathy. "I'm so sorry. What an awful way to find out. Before you go any further, I think I should tell you that I know Tom. He's a friend of mine."

"He's lovely isn't he? Such fun to be with." Sarah smiled at Alex's surprised expression. "I really don't blame Tom, you know. He was just as much under Laurie's spell as I was. Neither of us could help it. That's why I didn't ever confront Laurence about it. I didn't want to lose him and by keeping quiet, I least got to keep him in my life."

Alex nodded "Something is better than nothing at all isn't it, when you love someone that much." She thought about Tom and the similar conversation she'd had with him in the cells. She wondered how he'd react when he found out that Sarah had known about him and Laurence for years.

"Yes, it is. That's why I didn't want to talk in front of my Mother. I don't ever want to her to know about them. She wouldn't understand. Neither of my parents are particularly modern about things like that. They'd feel the need to tell Laurence's parents, and Tom's too. His father's already guessed I think, but his mother still has no idea."

"Is that why Tom never goes home? He mentioned something about his father disapproving of his lifestyle."

"Yes. As far as I can tell, Tom's dad found out and totally disowned him. They haven't spoken for years. It's ironic really. The only reason Tom joined the Met was to please his dad. He was a police officer, too. Reached the rank of Superintendent before he retired. Poor Tom, he really wanted to make him proud, but that's never going to happen."

Sarah sighed heavily. "Parents. They really screw up your life, don't they? We spend years trying to live up to their expectations, trying to make them proud of us, and we completely neglect to live our own lives in the process."

Alex closed her eyes as the stark truth of Sarah's unwittingly personal comment hit home. For a moment, she ached with the pain of it all; the death of her parents, her mother's regrets, the cruelty of knowing that Caroline been intending to change it all, if only she'd had more time.

She remembered how she she'd been with Molly, making the same mistakes as her mother, packing her off to school, impatient and sharp-voiced, focused on work, loving her but never putting her first, not even on that fateful morning when her whole life had changed beyond imagining. She heard Gene's voice in her mind. "Regrets will eat you alive if you let them Alex........try not to make the same mistakes again" and she shook her head, banishing the painful memories. She couldn't let herself think about that now. She needed to concentrate on telling Sarah want she needed to know.

"Sarah, I wanted to talk to you because we've found the man who killed you husband. His name was Michael Weston." Alex took the other woman's hand as she began to cry. "We found his body in the river on Friday. It would appear that he'd committed suicide. We'll never know his reasons for attacking Laurence, but it's at least an ending of some sort."

Alex squashed down her feelings of guilt as she gave Sarah the official explanation. She knew she could never let anyone know what she and Gene had done but it still didn't stop her feeling terrible about not being able to tell the truth. Sarah, of all people, would have understood. She sat with her, just letting Sarah cry for as long as she needed to. Eventually, she was quiet, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and letting out a long shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry. Thank you for letting me know. It's been awful not knowing anything. Would you be very kind and drive me home now, please?." Sarah asked in a small voice.

Alex nodded. "Yes of course. Will you be OK dealing with everything?"

"Yes. I'm going ask my mother to leave, then I'm going to make the arrangements for Laurence's funeral. They've said his body should be released in the next couple of days. After that, I think I'm going to put the house on the market and move away. Make a fresh start, somewhere else, where nobody knows me." She smiled sadly at Alex. "Who knows, I might end up with a second chance at life. That can't be a bad thing, can it?"

Alex shook her head, slowly. "No...... No, it can't be bad thing. Very few us get a second chance. I'd do everything you can to make it happen."

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Alex sighed heavily as she watched Luigi fill up her glass. She was exhausted by a day of emotional explanations. After she'd dropped Sarah back home, she'd stopped by the station briefly, intending to write up her notes. Gene had taken one look at her and called her into his office. He'd leaned back against his desk, arms tightly folded across his chest. Alex had asked him why he always seemed so defensive when he talked to her at work and he'd laughed.

"I'm not being defensive; I'm just trying my best to keep my bloody hands off you! You're always too damn sexy and I'm easily distracted. You look knackered now though, Bolly. Sod the paperwork. Get yourself over to Luigi's and get the drinks in for us, there's a good girl."

Alex had ignored the "good girl" remark, knowing that it was just Gene's way of asserting his superiority at work. She knew that if the rest of the team got the wrong impression even for an instant, and thought that he was "under the thumb", he would lose their respect. Alex was prepared to put up with spoken to like that occasionally, in order to preserve the office hierarchy and the harmony that went with it.

As she took a long sip of her wine, she heard footsteps coming across the restaurant behind her, and a tall figure slipped into the seat next to her. She turned, resting her hand on her chin, a slow, sexy smile curving its way across her mouth. Tom leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek, laughing at her surprised expression.

"That smile's not meant for me is it, Lexi, 'cos you should know by now that your feminine charms are totally lost on me. Sorry. I'll disappear when Gene turns up, I promise. I've been trying to talk to you all day. You never answer your damn phone."

"I've been out, informing Weston's victims that he is no longer a threat to them or anyone else in this world, including you, Tom. We've closed the case, providing the corner returns a verdict of suicide, and there's no reason why he shouldn't do so. Gene and I know why he carried out the attacks, but no one else will ever find out."

She leaned closer to him, speaking in a low voice, telling him about everything that Weston had written in his suicide note.

Tom sat in shocked silence for a while, struggling to take everything in. He frowned, his face puzzled. "So how come you and Gene know all of this, but no one else does? Surely it will be used as evidence at the inquest?"

Alex looked at him steadily, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Tom's frowned deepened.

"Alex, what aren't you telling me? You said there was a suicide note."

"Yes, there was" Alex suddenly became very interested in the contents of her wine glass.

"Alex, what happened to it? I want a straight answer, please."

Alex looked up at him, reluctantly. "Well, we sort of lost it. I was handing it back to Gene, and his hand slipped as I let go…. and then it fell into the river."

"You dropped it into the river!" Tom hissed disbelievingly.

Alex shrugged "Well, these things happen. According to Gene, it's because I'm a clumsy tart." She gazed at him innocently. "Do you want a drink Tom?" she asked as she drained her glass.

Tom didn't reply, dropping his head in his hands, fingers gripping tightly at his hair."What have you done Alex! You shouldn't have done this! Not for me."

Alex leaned against him companionably, as the alcohol kicked in. She'd hardly eaten all day and she was already beginning to feel its effect. "It wasn't my decision. I just went along with it."

"Who's bloody decision was it then?" asked Tom incredulously.

"His" said Alex, nodding at the door of the bar. Gene stood there, glaring down his nose at them both, shoulders squared, his gloved hands tensed at his sides, like a gunfighter ready to draw.

Tom stared back, holding his ground. "I think I'd better go, Lexi. I don't want this turning nasty," he murmured, softly.

"No, stay. It'll be OK" Alex held her breath as she met Gene's gaze. The corner of his mouth twisted up into either a faint smile or a grimace, Alex couldn't tell, and he nodded once at them both, before walking to a table in the corner and sitting down.

"Bring me a beer, Luigi! Bolly's paying!"

The rest of the team burst into the bar in a rush of laughter and Gene turned his attention to them. Alex felt Tom let out a long breath.

"Where's that bloody drink, Alex. That man of yours is truly terrifying sometimes. No wonder he gets so many confessions."

Two hours later, the atmosphere was noticeably more mellow, with the Gene and lads having a raucous conversation about Ray's love life. They were all debating whether or not he'd gone soft as he was still seeing Angela and showed no desire to move onto any one new.

At the bar, Alex and Tom were drunk and melancholy, talking about their childhoods, and the influence that their respective parents still had over them.

"Tell me something, Tom. If you had the chance to start your life again, somewhere new, no ties, no history, what would you do? Carry on as you had in your previous life, or change everything? If you got a second chance, would you try not to make the same mistakes again? "

Tom gazed at her sadly. "Something tells me you should be having this conversation with the gorgeous man in the black coat rather than me, Lexi."

She shook her head, vehemently, banging her hand on the bar."No. Need to get it sorted out in my head, first. Can't talk to him about some things. S'why 'm asking you. I live with enough regrets already, I don't want any more haunting me when I'm old and grey" She swayed in her seat and clutched the bar.

"A large black coffee over here, please" Tom signalled to Luigi, who was hovering at the other end of the bar. A minute later, he placed a fresh cup of coffee in front her, smiling his thanks at the anxious little Italian. "Drink up, Lexi. You really shouldn't get this pissed on a Monday night. It's not a good image."

"Just answer my bloody question, Tom," Alex growled and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You really have been hanging around with him far too long. You used to be such a nice girl."

He rested his chin on his hand, his mouth turned down in a grimace of concentration. "Second chances? Well, they're rare as hen's teeth." His finger tracing circles on the bar in the condensation left by their wine glasses, Tom spoke softly, wistfully.. "No, I wouldn't carry on as I am now. I'd take the chance and change my life. I'd give up the job for a start, begin again. No family history, no pressure to be something I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I love being a copper, but I'm not really being me. I'm made in my father's image and I'll never live up to that."

He looked at her, his eyes dark and sad. "I have so many regrets, Alex. Not being honest with people, not saying how I feel, and most of all, not being who I really am. If I could change things, put the mistakes right in some way…….. Bloody hell, I'd grasp it with both hands and never let that chance go. It's once in lifetime something like that happens."

Alex laughed bitterly. "Or two. What if you get two lifetimes? I've screwed one up already. I feel like this one is hanging in the balance somehow…. I can't explain any other way. I feel as though……" She broke off, shaking her head, taking a huge swig of her coffee. "Did you know I had a daughter?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, I did. Gene told me."

"Really?" Alex frowned in puzzlement.

"Yes. We were in the pub one afternoon, before Christmas. He asked me what I thought about the possibility of Molly coming to live with you both, now you're settled. He said you'd been really upset about her and that surely it couldn't be too hard to get her back from where ever she was. I said he should talk to you about, but he didn't, obviously, judging by your face....shit...I've said the wrong thing, haven't I?..... Lexi? Are you OK?."

Alex found that she couldn't speak, her throat hurt too much. She couldn't begin to take in what Tom had just told her, what Gene had been prepared to do for her. He was the one who didn't want children, though, wasn't he? That was twice now that he'd been willing to turn his life upside down for her. She struggled to take a breath, her chest tight, as though it were being crushed, pain flaring suddenly in her head.

As Tom watched in consternation, Alex began to laugh mirthlessly, her face twisted into a grotesque parody of hilarity, the tears spilling down her cheeks. She found she couldn't stop, the grief and hurt pouring from her in waves. It was agony, the knowledge that she alone was responsible, that her selfishness had caused her to lose Molly and end up in another time, with another life. She shook as the pain ripped into the very heart of her.

Try as she might, she still couldn't recall Molly's face or any clear memory of that day, but she could remember making the decision to send Molly away with someone else. Why hadn't she taken the day off? If she'd just put her daughter first for once, then maybe she'd never have been shot. Even when she'd had the chance to leave this world and go back to her, she hadn't taken it. She'd hadn't even realised its significance. All she'd wanted was Gene.

She looked over at him, her body hunched over in pain, her vision blurred with tears. DCI Gene Hunt, her sole reason for living, a man who loved her enough to try and make her complete again. He had no idea that Molly was lost to her for ever, she'd told him that she lived with someone else. Of course he'd want to try and make things better for her, that was his answer to every problem; he reacted, he tried to put things right. He was the Gene Genie, after all, and that seemed to be his role in life. She'd had to lose Molly to find Gene, but never before had the the impact of the choice she'd made hit her with such force. She heard someone sobbing in anguish and realised it was her; that the awful, agonised noise was emanating from her own throat.

She heard Tom calling Gene and it seemed to her to be only an instant later that she felt his arms, achingly familiar to her now, wrap around her fiercely, holding her, keeping her safe from harm. She heard his voice, low and steady, murmuring to her, his cheek pressed against hers, his mouth by her ear. "It's OK, Bolly. It's OK. We're going home now."

She dimly remembered being in the taxi, still crying, still cradled in Gene's arms. The next thing she truly sure of, was him carrying her upstairs, undressing her, and putting her to bed. He shrugged off most of his own clothes, leaving just his shirt and boxers, laying down next to her and pulling her close. She clutched him tightly, afraid to let him go, needing his physical presence to anchor her to some sense of sanity. She shook from head to foot, teeth chattering, body still heaving with sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't stop" she whispered, her voice panicky, the words catching in her throat, her fingers gripping the material of his shirt fiercely.

"Shh, Bolly. It's OK. You've had too much to drink, that's all. You'll be OK in the morning. Hush now."

His fingers stroked her cheek and as she raised her face to his, his mouth met hers, softly. Alex kissed him back, hungrily, desperately needing the physical contact with him, every nerve ending in her body yearning for his touch. She urged herself against him, pulling at his clothes, whispering to him frantically.

"Please, Gene, …… need you so much… make it all go away……please…"

He cut her off with a kiss that was as gentle as hers was raw, his hands over hers, slowly uncurling her fingers from his shirt.

"I will, but not like this…..Hush, Alex……lie still….. let me make it better" he told her huskily, his mouth on her neck, shifting his body so that he lay over her, holding her still until he felt her breathing grow quiet. She felt him move away from her, as he took off the last of his clothes, and she tensed, feeling the emptiness and panic sweep over her again.

Gene must have heard her indrawn sob, as he pulled her back into his arms, holding her gently. "I'm here. It's OK. I'm not going anywhere" His fingers stroked lightly over her skin, tracing small circles, making small ripples of pleasure spread throughout Alex's body. She let herself concentrate on nothing but his touch, arching up towards him instinctively. "I'm always here..... everything's OK...... Shhh." he growled softly, kissing his way down her neck.

His mouth found her breast and she cried out as he dragged his tongue over the raised bud of her nipple. He slid his fingers lower, finding the hot, wet centre of her, slipping them inside her, flexing them gently, making Alex sob incoherently with need. "Want you, Gene…. always want you…need you so much…..no one else…..ever".

"I know, Bolly…. I know… shh now. No more tears." Gene fingers continued to tease her, curling up inside her, stroking against the most sensitive part of her. His thumb, moved in small, soft circles over her clit, and Alex closed her eyes and lost herself in the sensation, whimpering softly. He brought her almost to the edge of orgasm, his tongue lapping at her breasts, his mouth sucking gently, until she cried out, begging him to be inside her. "Please....Gene.....please.....please....."

He eased her legs apart, replacing his fingers with his cock, hard and hot. Alex moaned as he slid into her slowly, rocking his hips gently, until every single inch of him was sheathed inside her. He held himself motionless for a moment and Alex lay still, feeling the heat of him inside her, the length of his body against hers, the warmth of his breath on her cheek. He dipped his head and kissed her, his tongue teasing hers softly.

At last, Gene began to move, long, slow strokes, that made Alex shudder and writhe under him, digging her nails into his back. She raised her legs up and wrapped them round his waist, pulling him deeper into her. This was what she wanted, what she needed, the feeling of him inside her, filling her up, making her think of nothing else. She moved with him, kissing him hungrily, her tongue pushing deep into his mouth, her hands in his hair. Grinding her hips against his, she felt herself beginning to come, her body pulsing with the first ripples of orgasm. Alex clung to him, urging her body up to meet his, desperate to be as close to him as she possibly could, feeling herself spill over him, hot and wet, crying out his name.

Gene gasped, biting at her neck, thrusting into her harder. "Can't hold on, …. can't… you feel too good…" She arched her back as he pushed himself up off the bed, his thrusts becoming deeper but more erratic, as he came. "Ohhhh.... god…..…Alex," he groaned, holding onto her, his face buried in her neck, lowering them both slowly back down onto the mattress.

Alex lay shaking in his arms, as he stroked her gently, running his hands over her back, calming her. She reached up to kiss his cheek, nestling herself closer into his chest, and sank into a deep sleep, unable to stay awake, exhausted by a combination of raw emotion and far too much alcohol.

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She woke up alone, but Gene's side of the bed was still warm, so she presumed that he hadn't been up for that long. Pulling on her dressing gown, she made her way groggily downstairs, frowning as she heard voices drifting up from the kitchen. She recognised Gene's gruff tones straight away, but it took a little longer to work out that he was talking to Ros.

"…..I didn't know what else to do. She shouldn't be on her own when she wakes up. I can't take time off this morning. I've got another meeting wi' the Super."

She heard Ros ask a question that she couldn't quite catch and paused at the top of the stairs to listen to Gene's answer. "They were talking about Molly. One minute she was fine and the next, she just broke down. I don't know how to handle her when she's like that Ros. I don't know how to put it right."

"Has it happened before?"

"Yes. Once before. It was the day we met you. You'd helped us interview the factory girls and Alex drove you home. Same thing happened later that evening. She just went to pieces and I don't think I helped things, either. I asked her if she wanted another baby, you know, to help her get over Molly."

"And how did Alex react to that."

She heard Gene snort mirthlessly. "Well, she didn't laugh at me, which was a blessing, I suppose. She said she didn't want another child. I just thought it might help. Bloody stupid idea, really. "

"No, it's not stupid. Unwise, maybe, but not stupid. What on earth made you say something like that? I thought you didn't want children."

"I didn't!.... I don't!…. I just thought it would make Alex better. I didn't really think it through properly. I just opened my bloody great gob."

Alex heard Ros laugh. "Well, you're a man. Thinking isn't really your strong point. Gene, having a child isn't going to solve Alex's unhappiness over Molly. It's an entirely separate issue and you should talk to each other about it properly. It's not something to be taken lightly."

"I know that." Gene's voice was cold and terse, and there was a short silence before he spoke again. "After she'd said she didn't want another baby, I thought that if I could find Molly, well, maybe she could come live wi' us. I spoke to Tom about it, but I've never mentioned it to Alex. There never seemed to be the right moment. She never talks about Molly if she can help it, and I didn't want to upset her."

"Gene, have you ever considered that Molly may be dead, and that Alex can't admit it to herself. She used the words "had a daughter" when she spoke about her to me. That's a pretty definite indication that she's no longer around. If you say that she never talks about her, then it's not surprising that she has these breakdowns. It's her way of grieving, Gene. She has to let it out somehow. All we can do is be there for her when it happens."

They was silence from the kitchen. Alex sat on the hall floor, her arms wrapped around knees tightly. Without knowing anything about her unique situation, Ros was absolutely right. Molly was as good as dead and even though there was no going back, she needed to mourn for her. The tears ran silently down her cheeks as she listened to Gene's reply.

"Christ, Ros. I never thought about it like that. I thought it was a bit odd that she had no contact with her at all, but I just accepted it. Bloody hell….. how could I have been so stupid." Gene's voice was anguished.

"Now, Gene, you're not to blame yourself for this. Alex has had a pretty tough week – worrying about Tom, fighting with you, the fire, and then, to cap it all, she's had a house full of children. That's bound to have shaken her up." She heard Ros turn on the tap and fill the kettle. "Look, if you don't go to work now, you'll be late. Leave Alex to me. I'll take good care of her, I promise."

Alex struggled to her feet, darting back up the stairs. She didn't want him to see her like this, or realise that she'd heard them talking about her. As Gene appeared in the hall, she walked downstairs slowly, giving every appearance of having just woken up. He shrugged his coat on, smiling anxiously as he noticed her.

"I've got to go in early" he told her, pulling her to him. Alex rested her head on his chest and leaned against him, taking comfort from the sound of his steadily beating heart. "Ros is downstairs. She popped round for a cup of tea. She should get a dog, then she'll have a proper excuse to be up so damn early. I swear that woman never sleeps."

She never sleeps because you keep phoning her for relationship advice, though Alex wryly, smiling at the idea of Ros owning a dog. "I'll see you at the station later then," she told him, shaking her head as he began to object. "I'm fine. Stop worrying. Work will be good for me. I've still got those reports to go through, remember?"

He nodded, looking at the floor, clearly unhappy. "OK. I'll see you at work. No over-doing it though." He kissed her and opened the front door, before turning back to her, with an awkward smile.

"It's no good telling me to stop worrying, you know, Alex. I love you. Worrying comes as a part of the package."


	40. Chapter 40

**Well, here we all are at chapter 40.**

**Lots of smut in this one, with Alex proving that while sex and grief can go hand-in-hand, there's sometimes no room for the finer feelings of love. Gene's just Gene, as puzzled and bewitched by her as ever, trying to do his best to make her happy. **

Ros regarded Alex with a mixture of affection and concern as she stood awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sorry about this Ros. I hope he didn't wake you up."

"No. I was up anyway. Maybe I really should consider getting a dog." She smiled gently at Alex. "Now, you don't have tell me anything about what's happened if you don't want to, but I am under strict orders to make sure you eat some breakfast."

"I thought you might be. I'll have some cereal." Alex found a box of cornflakes and poured herself a bowl as Ros made them both tea. She ate mechanically, forcing herself to swallow all of it, even though she couldn't taste anything. When she'd finished, she pushed the bowl to one side and dropped her head onto her hands.

"I feel like death warmed up" she sighed. "Bloody Tom. He drinks like a fish."

"So do you by all accounts. Gene said you were fairly drunk when it all happened." She laughed, "Actually he used the phrase "completely twatted" which I think is far more accurate, judging by the look of you this morning, but I'm not sure that I should use that description in polite company."

Alex smile grimly. " He has such a delicate turn of phrase, doesn't he. He's right though, I was a total mess." She shook her head "Bad day at work. Too many memories."

Ros said nothing, waiting for Alex to carry on.

"I can't see her face, Ros. No matter how hard I try, I can't see her properly."

"Molly?" asked Ros, softly.

Alex nodded. "I've nothing to remind me of her, and now I can't even picture her face. All I can remember is sending her away." She felt a tear slide down her cheek.

Ros reached across the table and took her hand. "What else do you remember? Do you remember why you sent her away?"

"Yes. I wanted her to be safe. I remember hugging her goodbye. Someone wanted to kill me. There was a man…..He had a gun…... I was …. hurt." Alex's voice rose into a sob. "I shouldn't have left her, Ros! I should have been with my daughter!"

"It's OK Alex. Take a deep breath. Can you remember what happened next?"

"It all gets confusing after that. The next thing I remember is wa…. is being transferred here. A new existence. No contact with anyone from my old life"

"And Molly was.... gone forever. No going back?

Alex shook her head. "No going back" she whispered.

Ros thought for a moment."If Molly had been with you, would she have been hurt too?"

Alex nodded.

"Then you did the right thing Alex. You made sure she was safe. That's all you could have done. I know feel guilty because you continued to live, instead of going with her, but you can't blame yourself. This isn't going to go away, but you can learn how to deal with it Alex. Everything gets better with time."

Alex sighed, relived to be able to talk about it all at last, even if Ros could never know the truth. It was far easier to let people think that Molly was dead. Maybe she should start thinking of her that way to. Maybe it would help her to let go. Wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her dressing gown, Alex smiled. "How come you always know how to sort things out, Ros?"

"My dear Alex, when you get to my age, you've pretty much seen it all. It's easier with other people's lives, anyway. You can stand on the outside and see the problem from a different point of view. It wasn't so easy when it was happening to me personally. I was a mess for years afterwards. I carried on for my husband's sake but it was so hard sometimes. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed, it hurt so much."

Alex hesitated over her next question, wondering if it was too personal to ask, but in the end she just blurted it out, desperate to hear Ros's answer.

"Did you want more children, after you'd lost your girls? I know you could never replace them, but did you ever consider having another family?"

"Yes, I did. We both wanted another chance, so we tried, but it didn't happen. I think that my years in the camp had taken its toll on my body. It took me a long time to accept that I wasn't going to be a mother again, but in the end I had to. It was either that, or go mad. I found other things to occupy the empty space in my heart." She looked at Alex, sadly. "Is this what all the tears are about? Wanting more children? Gene told me he'd asked you about having another baby and that you'd said you didn't want one."

Alex shook her head slowly. "I didn't then, but having Dave's children to stay has affected me far more than I thought it would." She sighed. "Gene doesn't want children, though. He's made that absolutely clear. When he asked me if I wanted another child, I said no, partly because I could never make him do something he doesn't really want to, no matter how I feel about it. "

She frowned, trying to put her jumbled thoughts into some semblance of order. "I think it's more than just children, it's about realising you get second chances in life, making the choice to do things differently. Someone said something to me yesterday about living our parents lives, not our own, and it really hit home. Strange really, because I told Shaz a few days ago that something had to change between Gene and me, but that I'm still not sure that I've got the courage to do it."

Ros looked at her sharply. "You're not thinking of leaving him are you? I thought you'd sorted everything out."

"We have! Gene's everything to me, more than I ever imagined he could be. God, Ros, if you could have seen us when we first met. We loathed each other." She laughed at the memory. "I sometimes can't quite believe we've ended up like this. Love and hate intertwine sometimes, without you even noticing it's happening."

She smiled reassuringly at Ros. "No, I'm not going to leave Gene. I mean that I need to change career-wise. I can't work with Gene for much longer. Professionally we need space between us so that we can have a chance of surviving as a couple. I just don't know how to tell him. I'm not sure how he's going to react."

Ros gave her a level look. "Fantastic change of subject, there, Alex. From children to work, in a few easy sentences. It's safer isn't it, to talk about something you can control, something less emotional…. You know, you are so like him in many ways, You both close yourself off when it all gets too painful."

Alex had the grace to look shamefaced as Ros continued,

"All you can do is talk to him, about work, about how you feel, everything..." Ros paused and Alex looked up, meeting her gaze. "And I mean everything, including how you feel about Molly and children in general. You can't just not talk about things. That's how you end up in a state like you were last night. It's far better to get it all out in the open. You know how it works Alex, I shouldn't really have to be telling you all this."

Alex laughed sadly "I know I do! It's just as you said, though. I'm too close to the problems to be able to see them clearly."

"You need some way of saying goodbye to Molly, you know,.Alex. You've never had the chance to do that and it's really important. You need to go somewhere that was special to both of you, or find something that helps you to remember her with love and happiness, not grief. It'll help, believe me."

"What did you do, Ros?" Alex asked her, quietly.

Ros smiled, her gaze far away. "I planted a tree for them each, in the garden of our old house in India. We stayed out there for a while after the war. We came home to England in the fifties. I have roses in the garden here for the girls, white ones. They never fail to make me smile when I see them blooming."

Alex sat for a while with Ros, trying to take in everything that she'd said. _Ros is right, I do need to say goodbye_, she thought. But how? She tried to recall any of the places that she and Molly had used to visit, but only one really stood out in her memory – sunlight glinting on the blue sea,…. the sound of gulls calling,…. candy floss? She was sure they'd eaten candy floss…… Alex pushed back her chair, her decision made.

"Ros? Would you do me a huge favour and ring Gene for me? I said I was going into work, but I'm not now. There's somewhere else I need to be."

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Alex gazed mournfully out of the tea room windows, willing the rain to stop. This morning, after her conversation with Ros, it had seemed like such a good idea to come here, but now she wasn't so sure. Brighton in February was very different from the sunny, summer days that she'd spent here with Molly. It wasn't just the weather either, it was the town itself. Alex remembered it as a vibrant, thriving place, full of colour, character, and quirky little shops that Molly had loved. There'd been coffee shops, and street musicians, and trendy people everywhere you looked.

All the way down on the train her memories had been getting stronger and clearer, flashes of long forgotten instances appearing whenever she closed her eyes. Molly with a kite, riding a carousel horse on the Pier, eating a doughnut covered in sugar, paddling in the freezing cold water, searching for pebbles with holes in….. Alex was dizzy with the wealth of images that crowded her mind.

When she'd left the station and started the long walk down to the sea, the pictures had faded, unable to withstand the reality of the cold, grey, dismal day, the hunched and huddled passers-by, the empty, boarded-up shops that she passed with depressing regularity. Brighton in 1983 was an alien place, hardly touched by the trendy, "London-by –the-Sea" prosperity that Alex had known in 2008.

When it had started to rain, she'd abandoned her plan of going to the beach and had made her way to the North Laines, buying a newspaper and finding the tea room at the top of Kensington Gardens to wait out the bad weather. She'd worked her way slowly through a pot of tea and a round of sandwiches, before the rain showed any signs of stopping.

Eventually the weather grew slightly brighter and Alex resumed her wanderings, drifting aimlessly through the streets, wending her way down to the sea. Rounding the corner of the buildings on the sea front, she shivered, pulling her scarf tightly round her neck as the cold wind grew stronger. She crossed the road, and after buying herself a take-away cup of tea from the only beach kiosk that wasn't boarded-up, she stood by the railings for a while, looking down at the beach, windswept and deserted save for a few people walking their dogs. The sound of the surf crashing onto the pebbles was deafening, and the gulls wheeled and cried in the sullen sky. _What am I doing here?_ she asked herself as she made her way down onto the shingle, sitting down to sip her scalding hot tea on the low brick wall that kept the shingle from spilling onto the path. _Molly's not here, there's nothing of her here_.

When the tea was finished, she walked slowly up the beach in the direction of the Pier, letting her mind drift, stopping every now and then to pick up a few pebbles that caught her eye; one with a hole through it, one that was the rough shape of a heart, one with markings like the scales on a fish. She put them in her pocket to take home with her. This was what she'd done with Molly, she was sure of it. She'd remembered it on the train. _It was better than nothing, wasn't it?. _Her eyes filled with tears at her foolishness. What had she been expecting anyway? That she would suddenly be free of all her guilt and pain? That it would all suddenly be OK?

"_You bloody idiot, Alex"_ she muttered, fiercely. She was freezing now, the sky growing darker. She looked at her watch. It was three o'clock already. _I'll just walk to the Pier and then I'll go_, she decided. She wanted to be at home, where Gene was, warm and safe. She pictured him, wanting him there with her, tall and strong, making everything better again, making her feel as though nothing else mattered but him. Longing swept over her, making her heart ache.

She began to walk faster, striding over the shifting stones as best she could. She glanced up at the Pier to her right, catching a glimpse of someone leaning over the railings, looking down at her. She began to shiver with cold as she made her way up the steps and along the pavement to the entrance of the Pier.

As she passed the hot dog booths that stood on either side, a tall, black-clad figure stood waiting for her. Alex stood and stared, unable to believe her eyes.

"You took your time, didn't you Bolly? Have you any idea how long I've been standing here, freezing my knackers off, waiting for you to stop fannying around on that bloody beach?"

His tone was gruff, but his eyes were kind, and his shy smile was her idea of heaven.

Alex laughed in amazement. "I wished for you!" she exclaimed. "I wished for you to be here, and now you are! Just like magic!"

Gene gave her a searching look. "You been at the gin again, Bolly?"

"No! Mind you, it would warm me up. I'm freezing!"

"Tell me about it" he grumbled. "I've been here since lunchtime. Luckily, the woman on the hot dog stall let me wait in there with her. Good job you turned up when you did, I'm bloody sick of burgers."

He looked at her warily, his stance awkward, hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

"You OK?" he asked her tersely. "You know, with me turning up like this. I wasn't sure if you'd be pleased to see me or not."

Alex took a step towards him, and slipped her arms around his neck. She kissed his cold lips and felt his mouth open under hers, warm and sweet as always.

"How is it" she asked him between kisses, "that I hate the smell of cigars and cigarettes, but I love the taste of them on you?"

"'Cos you love me?" he hazarded, dragging his hands from his pockets, reaching up to thread his fingers through her hair.

"Do I?" she joked, pulling back to see his face.

He nodded, his expression serious. "I know you do, Alex" He grinned, wolfishly. "After all, I'm the Gene Genie. I'm irresistible." He gazed at her for a minute, shaking his head as he felt her shivering.

" You shouldn't be out in this weather. You'll catch your death of cold....... Drink?" he suggested. "Unless you want to go somewhere else….it's your choice."

Alex stood looking down the wide boardwalk of the Pier. "Would you mind if I walked to end?" she asked him, shyly. "I know it's freezing and it's getting dark, but I just feel I have to…. sorry." She gave him a small, embarrassed smile.

Gene looked at her, sadly. "You don't have to apologise to me, Alex. Ros told me why you've come here. Do you want me to walk with you, or shall I wait here."

"Come with me" she whispered, suddenly afraid.

"OK" he nodded, slinging an arm around her shoulders. They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing on the wooden planks. As they neared the end, where the small funfair stood, Alex slipped from Gene's embrace. She walked a few steps from him, before turning, her eyes full of tears. Unable to speak, she held up her hands, palms towards him, fingers spread wide, in a wordless gesture. _Wait_, she begged him silently. Gene stopped, obviously understanding her need to do this alone.

The carousel was still and silent, swathed in canvas to protect it from the winter weather. Nothing moved, save the tattered flags that flapped and danced in the chilly wind. Alex felt her heart sink. Molly on the carousel was her clearest memory; now she couldn't even see the painted horses, let alone picture her lost child.

She walked past it, to the railings at the edge of the Pier, leaning over them to look down at the sea swirling below her. She was numb with cold now, her body shaking with disappointment and loss. She leaned further out, feeling herself being slowly hypnotised by the rise and fall of the water, the sound of the waves slapping against the rusty iron pillars of the Pier.

"Alex?" She heard Gene call from behind her, his voice full of concern and an under tone of sheer terror. "Alex! Come away! You're leaning too far over!"

Her hands clutched frantically at the railings as she suddenly became aware that she was on her tiptoes, leaning out at a perilous angle over the sea. She felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her back from the edge.

"Christ woman! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!"He glared at her fiercely, before hugging her tightly to him. "Don't ever do something like that again! Especially when I'm watching you do it!"

"I wasn't going to jump, you know, Gene." Alex reassured him, hearing the angry panic in his voice. He grasped her shoulders roughly, holding her away from him at arms length.

"Well, I don't know that, do I!" he roared furiously "You tried to walk in front of a patrol car when I first met you! That was about Molly, too! How am I supposed to know if you've gone all fruitcake on me, or not?"

He let her go, running a hand though his hair in frustration . "Jesus Christ, I really do need a bloody drink now."

Alex shivered. "So do I."

"You're all done here, then? 'Cos we can stay, if you need more time. Just don't go near the edge again."

She shook her head sadly. "No. I don't need any more time. She's not here. She's gone."

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Gene took Alex to the bar of the Grand Hotel, insisting that it was the nearest decent place to get a drink at that time of the afternoon. He settled her into one of the huge, comfortable sofas in the hotel lounge and found a waiter to fetch them drinks. Alex was silent, her heart frozen and her body numb. Gene seemed to sense that she didn't want to talk. He read his newspaper, and drank his whisky, content to let her nestle into the crook of his arm and watch the hotel guests come and go.

"Gene?" she asked, after a while. "Shouldn't we really be leaving by now? The traffic out of the town is always really bad."

He looked at her steadily. "Thought we could have some dinner here."

"What, and then drive back? Won't that make it awfully late? You must be tried, you had an early start this morning."

He smiled at her. "I'm not that old and knackered, Alex. I can cope with driving home, thank you very much. We don't have to though; we could always stay the night?"

"It's a bit too late to sort it all out now, isn't it?"

Gene shook his head "No need to. I booked a room this morning after Ros rang me." He met her eyes and shrugged, diffidently. "Well, I didn't know how long it would take to find you, or what sort of state you'd be in when I did. So I packed some clothes and stuff for us, and brought them with me. They're upstairs now, in a deluxe room, sea-view, king-size bed."

"Really?" asked Alex, surprised to feel a spark of desire flare in her. "King-size bed?"

Gene nodded. "Plenty of room in it for you to do unspeakably filthy things to me, Bolly," he murmured.

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They took the lift. Gene watched her in silence, his eyes dark with worry. Alex stared back at him, drinking in every detail of his face, feeling her physical need for him grow stronger and stronger, even though inside she still felt cold and remote as she had been on the Pier.

When they reached their room, in spite of her exhaustion, Alex knew that she had to have him, and by the hungry way Gene kissed her, she knew he felt the same way. She twisted away from him as he tried to pull her nearer to him. She didn't want to be held gently and treated as though she might break at any moment. She knew that if she let Gene touch her, she'd lose her control, she'd break down again. She didn't feel at all fragile, she felt as sharp and fractured as broken ice. She didn't want tenderness, and the comfort of love. She only wanted lust and the physical release of sex.

"Undress," she ordered him, abruptly, kicking off her boots. He frowned slightly but did as she said. When they were both naked, Alex stood in front of him, running her hands over his chest, digging her nails into his skin as he raised his hands to touch her.

"Ow! Alex!"

"No touching" she told him, her face serious.

He laughed and tried to run a hand over the curve of her arse. Alex dug her nails into his skin harder.

"I said, no touching!" She saw him look faintly surprised as she stepped forward, forcing him to move back. His legs hit the edge of the bed and he fell backwards onto the mattress. Alex stared at him, expressionlessly, before leaning over and grabbing his discarded tie from the floor. She straddled him, gripping him hard with her knees. As his hands came up to stroke her breasts, she held his wrists tightly, quickly wrapping the tie round them.

Gene grinned. "Kinky, Bolly" She pulled the material tighter and he looked startled. "Ow, Alex! That's a bit tight! I can't touch you properly, now."

Alex leaned over, pushing his bound hands up over his head, her breasts tantalisingly just out of reach of his mouth. "I know. That's the whole point," she growled. "Stay like that, Gene. Don't move or I'll stop,"

"You'll stop what?"

"This" she whispered, sliding herself back down his body and taking his straining cock into her mouth. There was nothing gentle about it, no teasing or licking, no slow build up of sensation. Alex took the whole of him into her mouth, swallowing him, sucking him hard. Gene shouted as she did so, his hips bucking up off the mattress.

"Jesus, Alex! That's….. oh god!….so good.……fucking hell!

His hands reached down automatically to try to stroke her hair. Alex pulled away from him, her eyes narrowed. She said nothing, just staring at him until he raised his arms above his head once more. He watched her silently as she took the belt from his trousers, looping it through the tie, then buckling it round the ornate metal support of the bedside table. He pulled against this new restraint, testing how strong it was. Alex smiled without a trace of amusement.

"No cheating, Gene. I told you, I don't want to be touched."

She took him into her mouth again, her tongue flickering and curling around the length of him. She concentrated on nothing but the feeling of having him in her mouth, listening to him as he groaned out his pleasure. She brought him to edge of his climax before stopping, squeezing him hard with her hand, hard enough to make him gasp. When he was silent, she began once more, her mouth descending onto him again, hot and wet.

Three times more she brought him achingly close to the edge, listening to him beg and plead for her to let him come. She felt him shudder with every stroke of her tongue on him, heard the rough sobs in his voice as she stopped once more. "Please Alex…. please….need you…please…please" She'd never heard him like this before, the ragged need in his voice making her feel almost drunk with the power she wielded over him.

She raised her head to look at him as he writhed at her touch, sweat-soaked and tormented, his silver/blue eyes burning into hers. She knew that he could undo the belt if he really tried to, that he could stop her relentless torture of him at any time, but he seemed to recognise her need for absolute control, that her dominance of him was the only way to release her hurt and anger.

Alex wanted him, she was soaking wet, the pulse between her legs beating wildly, and yet she was still strangely detached, unable to connect properly with what she was doing, revelling in her isolation. Maybe that was why she was making him sob and beg, refusing to let him touch her. She wanted to feel separate, removed from him, even as she fucked him. Alex crawled back up him, licking the sweat from his stomach as she did so. Gene shifted impatiently, the tension in his body clearly visible, his breath coming in harsh gasps.

"Tell me what you want, Gene" she demanded, teasing him, letting the very tip of her nipples graze his lips. He let out an agonised groan. "You, Alex..." he panted hoarsely, clearly desperate for her. " I want you….. please." His pupils were huge, his mouth twisted into a tortured grimace.

Alex smiled wolfishly, and moved her hips slowly, sliding herself down onto him, pushing down hard until she could feel him high up inside her. He threw his head back, eyes tightly closed, teeth clenched. "Oh god.........jesus........fucking hell" he muttered to himself, his wrists straining against the material that bound them."Don't move Alex........ please don't move.... oh god."

Alex held herself still whilst Gene fought for control, waiting until his breathing became slightly less ragged. Very slowly she began to move, small strokes at first, then with a greater urgency, holding him tightly with her thighs. She arched her back, slamming against him, her fingernails raking at his chest. She knew that she wasn't going to come, she felt too detached to be able to let herself go, but she knew that he desperately needed to. She felt him thrust up into her, his whole body rigid, her name torn from him as he finally came.

She watched as he recovered, his cock still hard and high inside her. He opened his eyes slowly, struggling to focus on her. "Jesus Christ, Alex….." She slid quickly off him, reaching up to unbuckle the belt.

He narrowed his eyes at her, seeing that she was still tense, her face blank. "You didn't come. Here.....let me put that right…" He moved his arms down from over his head, using his teeth to work the knot of his tie undone as he shifted closer to her. He raised his head to kiss her hip, trailing his tongue down her thigh.

Alex shook her head, moving away from him, avoiding his gaze. "No. Don't….. I can't.....It won't work...I'm sorry, Gene."

She made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her, running herself a deep bath. She submerged herself in the hot water, closing her eyes and dipping her head right under, letting the water close off her off from the real world. When it grew too cold to be comfortable, she got out, undoing the door at Gene's hesitant knock.

"All right if I have a shower?" he asked her, awkwardly. Alex could see that he was at a loss as to how to deal with her strange mood. She smiled softly, feeling all the anger, if not the sadness, drain away from her.

"Yes. It's fine. I'm finished in here anyway."

"You OK now?" he queried, gruffly.

She nodded. "Yep…. I'm sorry… you know, about that...just now."

He gave her a searching look "Well, I won't lie, it was a bit uncomfortable, Bolly. Sexy, mind you, but it still hurt. Look at the scratches you've made on my chest."

He smiled at the look of shock on her face.

"Bloody hell, Gene! I'm so sorry!"

He shrugged. "You'll make it up to me, Alex, I'm sure." He gave her a wink as he shut the bathroom door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They ate dinner in a small Italian restaurant by the Pavillion Gardens, Gene grumbling that even when he went away for the night he couldn't get away from "bloody pasta". For all his dark mutterings, the meal was excellent and Gene made sure that they talked about anything but the reason for Alex being in Brighton.

"I hope you told the Super when you buggered off without warning. He won't be pleased if we've both gone AWOL." Alex worried, glancing up to see Gene grinning.

"It's OK. I cleared it with him. When he started to ask difficult questions, I just told him you had problems of an intimate female nature, and he shut up. Probably thinks you're up the duff"

There was a small, awkward pause before Alex laughed stridently. "Well, that's not ever going to happen, thankfully."

"No......thankfully not" agreed Gene, busying himself with refilling their wine glasses.

After dinner they walked slowly back through the narrow Lanes, to the sea front and their hotel, their arms wrapped round each other. As Gene stopped to find his cigars, Alex glanced idly into the lighted window of a small art gallery. She froze, staring in wonder at the single, small painting displayed there.

Brightly coloured and incredibly detailed, the carousel horse glowed in the lights. The girl riding it was laughing in delight, her body twisted round to look behind her at another unseen rider. Her face was in profile, and Alex saw Molly in the curve of her nose and the jut of her chin. Her hair fell across her shoulder in an untidy ponytail, and Alex felt her frozen heart fill with a rush of love. The world spun and dipped crazily around her for a split second. She was here, her daughter was here after all. Alex pressed her hands and forehead to the cold glass of the shop window and stared in broken-hearted wonder.

She gradually became aware that Gene was standing silently behind her, waiting patiently, afraid to break into her grief. She reached a hand behind her, and felt him take hold of it, threading his fingers through hers, tightly.

"Look" she told him. "That's what she looked like. My Molly…… I can see her, Gene. I can see her now." She turned to smile at him, her eyes shinning with tears.

He looked at her, his expression full of sorrowful understanding. "If you like, we'll come back in the morning for the painting."

Alex nodded, and Gene slipped his arm around her shoulders once more. "Come on, Alex. Enough now. It's late, and you need to go to bed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex announced that she was going up to their room as soon as they reached the hotel. She was exhausted, and longed for sleep. Gene took a seat at the bar, kissing her goodnight and ordering himself a whisky. "I'll be up in little while, Alex."

She fell into bed, pulling the covers round her tightly, falling asleep almost instantly, leaving the bedside light on for Gene. The room was in total darkness when she drifted into wakefulness, trying to work out what had woken her. She jumped as she felt something brush softly against her inner thigh, and she heard Gene's throaty chuckle.

"It's me, Bolly" he whispered, his hot breath tickling her flesh. "Want to taste you.... need to taste you... to make you come." She gasped, as he kissed her, his tongue licking at her skin. Alex turned onto her side, instinctively pushing her hips forward, towards his mouth. He nuzzled closer to her, his tongue sliding gently inside her. Alex groaned at the feel of him, the warm wetness of his mouth on her. She hooked her leg over his shoulder, and Gene growled his approval, slipping his arms round her hips and pulling her onto him.

He teased her, flicking his tongue up and down her sensitive flesh at first, then lapping in small circles, making her moan with pleasure. Her hands came down to tangle in his hair, fists clenching as he put his whole mouth on her again, thrusting his tongue inside her. Alex felt herself coming, the sensation sweeping over her urgently, making her shudder and writhe against him. She cried out, her hips leaving the mattress as she felt her body convulse. Gene held her tightly, kissing his way back up her body. She tucked her head into his shoulder, her legs entangled with his.

"Told you I'd put it right" he whispered, sleepily.

She pulled him closer. "I love you."

She heard the satisfied smile in his voice as he replied. "Good."


	41. Chapter 41

**This chapter has taken longer than usual. It would seem that the creative bit of my brain went on holiday. No smut (that's in the next one), but there is plot.**

"Oh my God! What is that smell?" Alex fanned a hand in front of her nose, her face wrinkled in distaste as she stepped into Gene's office.

He gave her an indignant glare. "Don't look at me! I'm civilised these days, Bolly."

He turned to look at Ray, who held his hands up "It's not me either!"

Alex glared at them. "Well, something in here smells revolting." She marched over to the windows and flung them open, letting in the cold, foggy February air.

"Alex! It's freezing! Shut the bloody windows!"

"Gene, it really stinks in here!"

"I don't care! It's my bloody office and I'd rather have it stinking than freezing. Ray, take a look behind the filing cabinet. There's probably an old take-away carton stuck down the back."

Alex shook her head. "No. It's doesn't smell like that. It's more like rotting meat. Uncooked, rotting meat."

She moved over to a pile of papers and files that Gene had dumped on the floor by the heater. "It's coming from over here. Can't you smell it?" she asked them. Gene and Ray shook their heads, both of them exhaling cigarette smoke slowly from their nostrils as they did so.

"Of course you can't," she sighed, "Your nasal passages are beyond help." She moved some of the files and picked up a padded envelope. "It's this."

She held it up for them to see. The envelope was white, A4 size, with "_Hunt_" written untidily across it in thick black pen. A dried-up, dark brown stain had spread across one corner. She placed it gingerly on Gene's desk where the three of them regarded it suspiciously.

"Whatever's in there, I don't think it's going to pretty." Gene turned to look into the main CID room. "Chris! Get in here, now! "

Alex opened her mouth to protest and then shut it again quickly. Gene had been in an odd sort of mood since he'd woken up that morning, evidently feeling the need to reassert his authority after what had happened yesterday in the hotel. He would probably make her open it if she said anything and she really didn't want to do that.

Chris borrowed Gene's scissors and carefully cut open the top of the envelope. He tipped it up, sliding the contents onto the desk, where Gene had hastily placed Ray's copy of The Sun, ready to catch whatever emerged from the envelope.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" They all stepped back as the smell grew suddenly stronger. Gene grabbed a biro and jabbed distastefully at the plastic freezer bag, trying to lift up the top of it.

"Right, Chris. Cut it open. Lets see exactly what it is."

Chris did as Gene ordered, and the plastic parted to reveal a mottled and discoloured lump of meat, days old and clearly putrid, with dark, reddish-brown blood pooled stickily around it. Chris frowned in puzzlement.

"It's a nose. Who'd send you a nose, Guv?"

Gene heaved a world-weary sigh. "It's not just a nose. It's a pig's nose."

Chris looked blank as Gene waited in vain for his DC's brain to kick into gear.

"It's a snout, Christopher! Pig's don't have noses! They have snouts, and so does this department. Someone has just sent us a particularly graphic message."

Alex picked up the envelope and looked inside. She drew out a heavily stained sheet of paper, holding it by the corner. "Gene."

He cleared more space on the desk and she laid it down. The writing was bright red, smudged and waxy looking. There was only one word. "_Sorted_"

"Lipstick?" asked Gene, peering at the letters.

"Yes," agreed Alex. "It looks like that."

"So are we looking for a man or woman?" Gene gave Alex a challenging stare. He still found it hard to trust her psychobabble over his gut instincts.

"As the possible victim? No way of telling yet, although I'd say they're probably female and lipstick belongs to them. The author of the note is most definitely male, though."

"Why?" snapped Gene.

"Well, "_sorted_" - it's a direct challenge. It's saying, you think you've caused me trouble but I've dealt with it, because I'm more powerful than you are."

Ray laughed. "A sort of "my dick's bigger than your dick" kind of thing?"

Gene snorted. "I don't need to prove how big my dick is to anyone, thank you very much. The relevant party is well aware of it's size and has never made any complaints. "

Alex looked at Gene in shock, as Ray and Chris held their collective breaths. Gene surveyed them all, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"I can't believe you actually said that" she said, disbelievingly. "Still, moving swiftly on, I think we'd better start looking for a body, or at the very least checking the hospitals. Whoever's taken the trouble to send us this, hasn't just let the victim off with a slapped wrist."

Gene spoke rapidly, with his customary authority."Right. Chris, get everything off to forensics. Ray, get the list of our informants and go through it. Find out who we've used recently and whose information has turned out to be good. Then check on all of them; make sure you actually speak to them in person. They might be scummy little toe rags that'll grass up their Mam for the price of drink, but they're my scummy little toe rags, and I will _not_ have them messed about with!"

Alex went to leave as well, but Gene reached out a hand to stop her. When Ray and Chris had left, he shut the door, turning to look at her with a shamefaced grin. "Sorry about that, Bolly. I forgot myself."

Alex shrugged dismissively, feigning disinterest, not letting him see that she wanted to grin with him. "That's OK. You're my senior officer, Gene. You can say what you like about the size of certain parts of your anatomy." She carried on cautiously, taking the opportunity to let him know how she felt . "Perhaps we do need to re-think our whole work situation though. Working and living together is incredibly difficult and I'm not sure we should put it to the test any more. Let's be honest, our private life is bound to spill over into our professional one again. Maybe it's time for me to look for something else?"

He looked at her sadly, regret in his eyes. "I knew this issue would rear its ugly head at some point." He sighed heavily "Look, Alex, it's not for me to tell you what do with your career. Jesus, woman, you'd have my balls on a string round your neck, if I so much as tried, but I will say this; I don't want you out there, on the streets, with another team. I couldn't be there to watch your back and that amount of worry would kill me." He shook his head helplessly. "I can't stop you transferring somewhere else, but I need you to know how I feel."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Point taken, Guv." As she opened the door, she paused, looking back over her shoulder with a wicked smile. "By the way, I've no complaints whatsoever, but you may need to convince me again of the actual size when we get home."

Gene laughed. "Out, DI Drake and take your filth-infested mind with you, but before you go, will you please, for the love of Christ, shut the sodding windows!"

Alex did as he asked and returned to her desk, still piled high with the files and reports that she'd been meaning to start looking at last Friday. Gene still hadn't told her exactly what he wanted her to look for. Some of them were CID files and some were reports of call-outs by uniformed officers.

She read them all thoroughly, but could see nothing to link them. Reaching the bottom of the pile she began to go through them all again, this time making a list of times, dates and the type of crime involved. She sat back in her chair as she read, putting her booted feet up on her desk. Ray nudged Chris and they both smiled. It amused them both hugely to see Alex mirroring Gene's mannerisms without even realising it.

Alex felt tired, but more relaxed than she had done in days. The bleak mood that had been with her in Brighton yesterday seemed to have lifted. She and Gene had left the hotel after a huge breakfast and returned to the art gallery, getting there just as the owner was unlocking the shop door. Alex had watched silently as he'd removed the painting of the carousel horse from the window and carefully wrapped it up for her. When it was safely packaged and paid for, they'd made their way back to the car, unable to put off returning to work any longer. It had taken them just under an hour to get back to London and then the traffic had slowed them down, much to Gene's fury. She put down the file for a moment and leaned back further, yawning hugely.

"Something keeping you up at night, DI Drake? I can see all your fillings when you do that, you know."

Alex snapped her mouth shut in surprise and opened her eyes to see Tom standing by her desk. He smiled at her, but not before flicking a nervous glance in the direction of Gene's office.

"I came to see how you were after our drunken little evening. I rang yesterday but they said you weren't in."

"No, she wasn't" called Ray. "She 'ad a monster of a hangover, didn't you Ma'am? Not surprised, the amount you two drank. I'll tell you this much, Boss. You might be all posh and speak like Joanna Lumley, but you drink like a bloody navvy"

Alex grinned, not minding the teasing. It meant that the team accepted her. They didn't just tolerate her because she was their DI, or indulge her because she was the Guv's missus; they teased her because she was Alex, and she was one of them.

"I'm fine, thanks Tom. How are you? Have you started the house repairs yet?"

Tom shook his head, holding up his bandaged hand ruefully.. "No, not yet. These stitches mean I can't do anything like that. Still, your DC Ellis has given me his brother's telephone number. He's a builder. Does everything, even plumbing and electrics, apparently."

Alex smiled and refrained from saying anything further about DC Ellis's brother. "I saw Sarah Holt on Monday. I didn't tell you when we were in Luigi's. Too much other stuff going on in my head. Sorry."

"I know" Tom looked awkward. "That's the other thing I wanted to ask you about. She rang me yesterday afternoon. Laurence's funeral is on Monday. I wondered if you'd possibly be able to give me a lift? I can't drive myself with my injured hand and I really don't want to ask any of my lads to do it."

"Of course I will, but I'll have to ask Gene if it's OK with him. I can't just take the day off." Alex saw Tom's fleeting expression of horror and reached forward to pat his arm. "I'm sure it will be fine" she said encouragingly, not letting the doubt she felt, show on her face. "I'll go and ask him now."

Tom waited outside whilst she outlined his request. Gene gave him a hard, considering stare before giving Alex his answer.

"Nope" he snapped, dropping the file he was reading back on his desk. "Absolutely not."

Alex gritted her teeth, controlling the frustration she felt at his outright refusal.

"Why not?" She asked, not quite managing to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Well, since you appear to have totally forgotten, I'll remind you. You have a meeting with the Superintendent and all those other meddling, change-hungry suits to talk about that report you wrote last year. They're ready to look at how to roll out your recommendations across all departments apparently."

Alex sighed. He was right, she had forgotten. "Shit" She glanced at Tom who was now sitting at her desk, pretending to read the newspaper.

"Why does it have to be you? Why can't he get one his Collier Street twats to drive him?" Gene growled.

Alex rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Gene! He's going to the funeral of someone he really cared about!" She didn't dare use the word "love". That would really push his temper up a notch or two. "Not only that, his Father's going to be there. He needs someone with him who'll understand what he's going through."

Gene rested his chin on his hand, lips pushed into a pout whilst he digested this information.

"DCI Fletcher! A word if you please!"

"_Oh Christ!_" thought Alex, "_now what's he going to do?_"

Tom came into Gene's office, shoulders back, face impassive, but Alex knew it was all an act. He was desperate to regain Gene's approval, to take the first steps to re-build their friendship but he would never, ever let Gene know it. She knew that Tom wouldn't react to whatever was said, he'd appear as calm and unruffled as ever, but Gene had the power to hurt him greatly and was well aware of the fact.

"Bloody men" she muttered to herself, as Gene stared at Tom, a pugnacious look on his face.

"DI Drake can't take the day off on Monday. She's got meetings to attend."

Tom's shoulders sagged ever so slightly.

"Where is this damn funeral, anyway?"

"Surrey. Near Dorking."

"And you can't drive?"

Tom shook his head, indicating to his hand.

"Fairy!" snorted Gene "I got shot in the leg and it never stopped me from driving."

"Yeh, but Tyler nagged you about it so much, you let 'im drive in the end." Ray stood in the doorway, a teasing grin on his face, enjoying a rare chance to wind his Governor up.

"Did I ask you to contribute to this conversation in any way, DS Carling?" Gene asked icily.

"No Guv." Ray beat a hasty retreat.

Gene turned his icy stare back to Tom. "Train? Taxi? Can you find no other means of transport other than DI Drake chauffeuring you?"

Tom smiled ruefully, holding up his hands in defeat. "Look, just forget it. I'm sorry I asked. I'll work something out." He touched Alex gently on the arm. "I'll see you soon Lexi, OK?"

Alex nodded, trying to apologise to him with a look, before giving Gene a "how-could-you" glare.

Gene sighed heavily. "The things I do for you, Bolly" he muttered.

"What time?" he barked at Tom's departing back. Tom stopped and looked round.

"I'm sorry?"

"Time, Fletcher, time! What time does the whole thing kick off?"

"Er, half past one." Tom told him. "Why?"

"Because I need to know what time to leave here, you prat! I'll see you outside at twelve sharp, don't be late."

Tom just stared at him in astonishment before walking back to Gene's desk. "Thank you" he said gruffly

Gene sniffed dismissively, before speaking in a low undertone "Yes, well, just don't expect me to get out of the bloody car when we get there. I don't want anyone thinking I'm a fairy too." He shook his head, wryly, before continuing in his normal belligerent tone. "Now clear off out of my station, DCI Fletcher. You shouldn't leave your incompetent lot alone for too long, anyway. They can't tell their arses from their elbows, so God knows what the criminal fraternity are getting up to on your patch while you're down here bothering me."

Alex waited until Tom had left before leaning down and murmuring in Gene's ear.

"So you are human after all."

Gene looked up at her from under his lowered brows, his face inches from hers. "Don't say it too loudly though, Bolly. I wouldn't want people to get the wrong impression."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours later, Alex had re-read all the crime reports and was pinning a large map of the City and the docks on the whiteboard. Shaz returned from her raid on the stationery cupboard, clutching several boxes of different coloured drawing pins and sticky labels, dumping them all on the desk next to Alex.

"Thanks. Right, you take these. They're uniform's reports" Alex handed her a list of incidents. "Mark them all with green pins and I'll do the CID ones in red. Then we have to put all the dates and times on them and link them together."

They worked in silence, both of them carefully checking their lists for the correct locations of the crimes. After a while they both stood back to study the map with it's arrangement of pins and labels.

"Thought so," said Alex in satisfaction. Shaz said nothing, her head tipped on one side, brow furrowed in concentration.

"For each CID incident, there's a uniform one that takes place at the same time, on the same date." She spoke slowly, working it all out, as she traced the patterns in front of her. "All our incidents are surveillance ops or raids for drugs. The uniform ones are always reports of break-in's, arson attacks or fights." Her frown deepened as she turned to Alex. "They're keeping us busy, aren't they Ma'am? Look….. All the pins are in these areas of the map. This bit doesn't have any in it. They're keeping us away from it…..am I right?"

Alex laughed delightedly. "Yes, Shaz. You're right. You know, you really are wasted behind that typewriter."

Shaz blushed. "You know, I've been thinking about that Ma'am, I wondered if I'd be any good at...." she stopped as Gene emerged from his office, his face breaking into a smile when he caught sight of the map.

"I knew I could rely on you to map it all out properly, Bolly. You can really see where they don't want us to be, with all those fiddly little pins."

Alex frowned slightly. "So, you knew this already?"

Gene shrugged. "No, not for definite. I just knew that something wasn't right. All those tip-offs we've had that have come to nothing, uniform being run ragged at the same time. It's easier to see the pattern now."

Alex spoke through gritted teeth. "If you knew this already, why did you let me waste all that time reading the reports? Why didn't you just tell me what you wanted me to look for."

He grinned "Because how are you meant to learn if I give you all the answers. You have to work it out for yourself, Alex. It's no good just relying on my greater experience all the time."

Alex drew herself up to argue and then glimpsed the teasing glint in his eye. "Of course, Guv. What would we do without all your considerable years of greater experience?"

"Oi, I'm not that old, so don't write me off yet, Bolly." He grew serious again, leaning on her desk and folding his arms. "I've just been told I've got to be in Birmingham tomorrow and Friday, so I'll be away tomorrow night. Sorry."

"It's OK. I don't mind being on my own for a night. Why Birmingham though?"

"Meetings" intoned Gene, gloomily. "The Super wants me to go. He thinks I'll have something to contribute."

"To what?"

"Change, Alex, change. That inevitably ticking clock that gets us all in the end. It's no good fighting against it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Alex wanted ask him more questions, but his face held that closed, grim expression that she hadn't seen for ages, so she though it best to remain quiet and not upset him any further. It didn't stop her worrying though; change and Gene were the worst possible combination. Any hint that his little empire might be threatened in any way was usually enough to send him spiralling into the blackest of moods.

As she'd predicted, Gene had left in the early morning, grim-faced and terse. She pitied whoever he was meeting. He didn't suffer fools at the best of times and today he was furious, both at having to waste his time "talking poncey-arsed management bollocks" and at having to stay the night in a hotel.

"It's only one night" she'd whispered to him as she'd kissed him goodbye at the front door, shivering with cold in her thin silk dressing gown. His hands had roamed down her body, cupping the cheeks of her arse and holding her closely against him. She'd leaned her shoulders back to kiss him again and he'd scowled grumpily.

"S'one night I don't get to spend with you. I don't sleep well when you're not there."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She smiled to herself as she sat at her desk, recalling his slightly embarrassed expression at having admitted such a thing to her.

"Boss?.... Boss! I knew you weren't bloody listening to me." Ray was glaring at her from behind his desk.

"Sorry, Ray. You're right. I was miles away. Let me go and get us some tea and then I promise to pay attention."

Ray grinned at Chris as Alex left the room. "I bet she was miles away. About 100 miles up the M1."

"It's nice though, in't it? The Guv and the Boss, all sorted and happy together." Chris looked thoughtful. "If they can make it work, I reckon me and Shaz could give it a go too."

Ray frowned. "You've been going out for well over a year! What do mean, "give it a go?"

Chris looked round, checking that Shaz wasn't in the room. "Do things properly. You know, her and me, all official like."

"Official?" Ray looked worried. "How official?"

Chris shrugged, embarrassed. "Well it's Valentine's day soon. I thought I'd ask 'er then."

"Ask 'er what? You're not going to ask 'er to marry you, are you?"

"Shhhh!" Chris flapped his hands in agitation."Anyway, what's wrong with asking her?"

Ray started to answer, but Alex returned with tea for them all, and Chris busied himself with sorting out the files on his desk.

"OK. Tell me again. The informants. You've checked them all off the list and no-one's missing." Alex dunked a chocolate digestive in her tea as she talked.

Ray nodded. "Yep, and now we're back to square one. If the message isn't about an informant, what the hell is it about?"

Alex frowned. "We have to look at it another from another angle. Who've we arrested recently? What raids have turned up drugs, counterfeit cash, or guns? Have we closed down any of the local brothels?" She began to run through the most recent incidents in her mind, but Ray was shaking his head.

"That still doesn't work. Even if we do it that way, we can still match the informant to the information that led to us getting a result. None of them are missing."

"Right. Get every case file we've generated for the last two weeks and we'll go through them all. We need to map exactly where we got our information from for each one. Something has slipped through the net."

Ray and Chris groaned. "That'll take ages."

"I know that Ray, but it's got be done. There's no other way."

"The Guv wouldn't do it like this. He'd just go out and shout at people until they told him what he needed to know. Why can't you do that? We know it works."

"Because the Guv's not here today, so we're doing it my way. I admit that his way is far more direct, but I feel I lack the menacing charm that's necessary to achieve the desired effect."

Ray grinned at her. "I don't know about that Ma'am. You were proper scary that day in the mortuary. The Guv's definitely rubbing off on you."

He looked aghast as he realised what he'd said could have an entirely different meaning and grinned with relief when Alex laughed.

"Just shut up and get the files, Ray."

The eighth case they looked at was the drugs raid from last week that Alex had missed because of her argument with Gene. Ray went over the whole op for her, filling in certain parts in more detail.

"Where did you get the tip off from? I though that you had a surveillance op set up for a warehouse in Whitechapel? I remember Gene briefing you about it on Monday afternoon."

Chris looked up from the file he was reading. "We did, but then Ray and me went to get fish 'n chips, and we ran into that Lisa bird and she told us.."

Ray interrupted triumphantly "That her bloke Carl was busy with something big! That's where we got the tip off from!"

Alex held up her hands. "OK. Go back to the beginning and tell me what happened."

"It was Thursday evening, 'bout sixish. We were coming back from interviewing the landlady of the Horse & Groom about a break-in, and we stopped off to get fish 'n chips…."

"I didn't have fish though, I had a sausage in batter" Chris interrupted anxiously.

"I don't really think that's relevant Chris, but thanks for sharing that with us. Carry on, Ray." Alex rolled her eyes at her DS, who grinned.

"We were coming out of the shop when we saw Lisa Hawkins. She goes out wi' a bloke called Carl Evans. She's just small time, bit of shop-lifting, selling hookey stuff, you know, but, 'e's a proper thug. Always involved in something dodgy, in and out of prison. Anyway, she were messing about, asking for a share of our chips, and I told 'er to get Carl to buy 'er some." Ray paused for a minute to think. "She told me 'e wasn't around and 'e hadn't left 'er any money. Said 'e wouldn't be back for a couple of days as 'e was involved in this big deal for someone important."

"So how did you get from a casual conversation outside a chip shop, to a full on drugs raid?"

"We saw Carl by chance, coming out of the pub on our way back to the station. 'e got into a car, and I 'ad them run a vehicle check. Turns out it was stolen, so we contacted the Guv, 'e rounded up the team while we followed Carl, an' it all fell into place from there."

Alex frowned. "Have you got an address for Lisa Hawkins? We need to check on her."

Ray made the call, returning to Alex's desk with a solemn face. "'Er mother's not see 'er since Sunday afternoon. She went to meet Carl and never turned up. It was Carl that phoned and told 'er."

"Get a description of her circulated, and check the local hospitals. We need to find her. I don't understand why they sent a snout though. She's not one of ours, is she Ray?"

He shook his head. "No. She's only seventeen. Not old enough anyway." He stopped, in the middle of dialling a telephone number, his hand frozen in mid air. "Oh, bloody hell." His face betrayed his horror.

"What Ray?" He didn't answer, and Alex raised her eyebrows at Chris who was looking equally troubled. "What?" she asked gently, but firmly.

"He gave her money," stammered Chris, rushing quickly on as Alex began to frown. "Not for the information, Boss! For food. She was hungry!"

"I gave 'er some money for chips," said Ray quietly. "We were outside the shop, anyone could 'ave seen us." He shrugged helplessly as Alex looked at him in surprise. "It were freezing, Boss, and she's such a scrawny little thing."

Alex shook her head. "It's unlike you to be so nice, DS Carling. I do believe having a girlfriend is turning you into an old softie."

Chris snorted with laughter at Ray's outraged face and Alex continued. "And I'm well aware how many ways in which that remark can be construed, so I'm going to leave you two now, and take DC Ellis with me to talk to Lisa's mother."


	42. Chapter 42

Alex pushed a stray tendril of hair back behind her ear and forced herself to concentrate on the file in front of her. She sent everyone else home hours ago but she'd decided to use Gene's absence as an opportunity to catch up on all her paperwork. There was no point in being at home, she was always unsettled when Gene was away, so it made sense to spend the evening at work. She'd taken all her files into his office, for no other reason than she liked being in there. It smelt of his aftershave and cigars and she liked the comfort of sitting at his desk.

The phone rang, shrill in the late night quiet and Alex jumped. "DI Drake speaking" she answered, her voice breathless with surprise.

"I knew you'd be in my office" Gene's voice rasped in her ear. "Why aren't you at home? I rang there first."

"Paperwork." Alex told him succinctly. "Where are you?"

"In my room. Everyone else is downstairs at the bar."

"And you're not with them?" she queried.

"Nope. I wanted to talk to you instead of them, so I'm sitting here on my todd with glass of whisky."

"The mini bar's on expenses then?" laughed Alex.

"It is hell!" snorted Gene. "I brought my own from home."

"Trust you. Ray and I had a breakthrough this afternoon. We think we may have worked out the identity of the …."

He interrupted her. "I didn't ring you to talk about bloody work, Alex. There's sod all on telly, so I was thinking that you could entertain me instead."

She laughed. "What do you want me to do? Sing down the phone… I have to be really pissed to do stuff like that."

She heard his gruff chuckle. "No Bolly, I don't want you to sing to me." He paused. "What are you wearing? I want to be able to picture you."

Alex smiled to herself. "_Ah, so that's what he wants"_, she thought. "My red jumper dress" she replied smoothing it down over her thighs as she spoke.

"Mmmm… nice. I like that one, it shows off your arse. What else? Stockings?"

"Of course. Always stockings, never tights."

"I knew there was a good reason I'd taken up with you, Bolly. Heels?"

"Red" she replied, hearing him groan softly. "What are you wearing?" she asked him with a grin.

"A towel." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I just got out of the shower. Ask me another question."

"What sort of question?" she teased.

"Anything you like, Bolly, as long as it's filthy."

"OK….what was your first time like? Who with, and where?" She always wondered about Gene's previous encounters with women. She knew there had been many of them, but from what she could gather, it would seem that they'd tended to be on the seedier side of life's experiences.

She heard the chuckle again. "Maureen Hancock, back of the Working Men's club. I was sixteen, she was eighteen. Right little nympho, she was. Buy her a double port and lemon, and she'd shag anything."

Alex giggled. "Were you any good?"

She heard Gene snort derisively. "I was sixteen and it was my first time. What do you think, Bolly! I was finished so fast she never even got her knickers past her knees. I like to think I've improved somewhat since then. Your turn, Alex"

"Marcus Fournier, the brother of my French exchange partner. In the guest bedroom of their house in Paris. I was seventeen, he was twenty."

There was a silence as Gene thought about this. "You lost your virginity to a French bloke? My God, Bolly, did you have no pride at all?"

"He was handsome, and very, very charming. I wanted to get it out of the way, and he seemed like he knew what to do."

"And did he? Did he make you come?" Gene's voice hungrier, less teasing.

"No"

"Ha! Useless git!"

"Not the first time, but the second and third times were fantastic." Alex made no effort to hide the smugness in her tone.

"OK. Enough of that. Lets get back to you in that red dress, and what's underneath it."

"A black satin bra, the one with the lace trim, and matching knickers."

"The G-string, or those lace ones that dip down at the front and back?"

"The lace ones." She heard his in-drawn breath.

"Not fair, Alex. Not when I'm here and you're there. You could have said you had boring, white cotton ones on, like tennis players wear, or when posh girls like you played lacrosse..."

"I don't own any boring white cotton knickers, Gene."

"True, but actually the thought of you in pair is making me feel even hornier. I like the thought of them, all white and innocent – nice girl knickers, they are, Bolly. Are you a nice girl?"

"You know I'm not. I used to be, but I've known you for too long. You've corrupted me."

"Prove it." he growled.

"How?"

"Tell me a fantasy, Alex. Something from the deepest recess of your filthy mind. Make sure I'm in it though. Feel free to include another bird if you like, but I 'd rather you didn't tell me about shagging another bloke."

She laughed. "I don't want any other bloke, Gene. You're the only man in my fantasies."

"Well, that's a great start. Carry on. Did you fantasise about me before we got together?"

Alex thought for a moment, wondering whether she should admit it to him. "_His ego will go through the bloody roof if I do. Oh, what the hell, it's true, I did fantasise about him."_

"Yes" she whispered, her voice so soft she could hardly hear herself.

Gene laughed softly. "I fantasised about you from the minute I saw you. You haunted my dreams for a long time, Alex. Tell me what you used to think about, what you wanted me to do to you."

Alex was silent for a moment, wondering what to say, how to describe all the images that had used to fill her mind not only at night, but sometimes during her waking hours as well. She'd forgotten just how powerful they'd been, how Gene had dominated her thoughts and her desires for a long time before either of them had admitted how they felt.

"Alex?" His voice was languid and husky. "Tell me what you're thinking about."

She took a long, deep breath, fixing an image in her mind's eye. "Sometimes when we argued, the power and the anger was so strong, that I wanted you right there, no matter where we were. I used to imagine you taking hold of me and fucking me, in your office, in Luigi's, even out in public. Anywhere. It didn't matter who was around, you just had me, there and then. God, I used to ache, I wanted you so much."

"In your fantasy, do you give in to the ache?"

"Yes. I give in completely and you can see it in my eyes. You want me and you know you can have me." Alex swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry, her heart racing.

"Where are we?" Gene's tone was gentle, coaxing her.

"In your office.... it's the afternoon....... you're angry because I've not done what you asked me to. We're so close; close enough to feel the heat from each others bodies. You put your finger on my lips to stop me talking. I don't say anything. You slide one hand under my top... I can feel your fingers stroking my breast.... pinching.... teasing me, and all the time you look at me with those incredible eyes of yours....you stare at me, deep into me. It's as though I'm hypnotised by you. I'm powerless to do anything but what you want me to do."

"Then what" Gene's voice was clipped, his breathing shallower.

"Then you shut the blinds and lock your office door. I know what you're going to do, but I don't move. There are people outside at their desks but you don't care and nor do I. You turn me round, your hand between my shoulder blades, make me lean down over your desk....." Alex gasped, as a rush of pure lust gripped her, instinctively shifting her hips upwards, aching for him.

"Do I kiss you?" asked Gene, in a low growl.

Alex shivered, hotly, the pulse between her legs throbbing wildly. She still couldn't believe that he had the ability to make her feel like this, every single time, that just hearing his voice had the power to turn her on and make her body ache for him. It was no good resisting. She gave a small sigh as she eased her hand between her legs

"No, you don't even speak to me, you just bend me over your desk and then you push my skirt up over my hips, and pull my knickers down. I can feel you working your fingers slowly inside me. I'm dripping wet, soaking, ready for you."

"Oh god..bloody hell, Alex. Are you wet now, just talking to me about it? Are you touching yourself, Alex?" His voice was hypnotist-soft

She looked down, watching as she stroked herself gently, her dress rucked-up around her hips.

"Yes," she told him. "Are you?"

"Yes…I'm very hard, Alex. Hard and horny and desperate for you." Alex could hear his ragged breath. "You have no idea what you do me. I want you all the time, even though you're mine now. When we're out in public, when we went to all those parties at Christmas, all those other men, looking at you, they wanted you too, I could see it on their faces. Christ, that makes me feel so bloody good about myself, knowing that I'm the one that's taking you home, that it's me making you moan and beg for more with the things I do to you." He bit back a groan. "Tell me what happens next in my office, Alex?"

"You fuck me" she whispered. "You still don't say anything, you just grab hold of my hips and take me, hard, fast… You grab my hair, pull my head back towards you, so my back arches and my arse is angled up and out......and you don't stop, you keep moving in me, harder, deeper…." Alex broke off with a gasp as the first flickers of orgasm stirred in her.

She heard Gene groan throatily, and imagined him lying on the bed, stroking himself, his hand wrapped firmly around his cock. "Oh... god…" The thought made her melt with pleasure, and she moved her fingers faster, feeling the heat spread through her.

"Tell me what you're doing, Alex." Gene rasped, his voice strained with lust.

"I'm making myself come. I'm imagining you here with me now, driving into me, so high and so hard that I want to scream and scream. I don't care who hears me, it's just so fucking fantastic, the feeling of your cock filling me up,...... knowing that you want me so much,...... that you're fucking me, right here,.......over your desk, in the middle of the afternoon…"She heard him moan in agonized pleasure and the sound tipped her over the edge. She gripped the telephone tightly, working herself hard, as she made herself explode, her hips urging up against her hand. "Yes...oh god....now...I'm...ohhh....yes..."

"Oh Christ, "he gasped. "You sound so… jesus..… so bloody beautiful, Alex…. oh god…" He gave a long, low moan that twisted into a deep growl of pleasure. "Oh, yes.." he whispered, his breathing ragged.

There was silence and after a minute, Alex heard his rumbling laugh echoing down the line. "You beautiful, filthy, little minx. Just wait until I get home tomorrow."

Alex laughed, her head still spinning and her body still shaking. "Bet you'll sleep well, tonight."

"I will. You should get yourself home too, Bolly. Forget the bloody paperwork."

"OK. You're the boss. Night Gene, love you." She held her breath as she always did when she told Gene how she felt about him. His voice came back to her without pause, relaxed and completely confident about what he was saying.

"I love you too, Alex."

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When she got home, it was nearly midnight and she made her way round all the rooms closing the curtains. As she drew the sitting room ones, she thought she saw a figure standing on the opposite pavement, just beyond the glow of the street light. As she moved closer to the glass to look, it was gone. Shaking her head at her silliness, Alex went back down to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher and tidy up. As soon as everything was neat and in its place, she went to get ready for bed. Tired from her long day, she didn't even attempt to read, huddling down under the duvet instead. As she clicked the bedside light off, her last thought was that the bed was freezing without Gene to warm it up for her.

She was just drifting off into a deep sleep, when the crash of the doorknocker reverberated through the silence. Alex sat up in shock, her hand automatically reaching across to the space normally occupied by Gene's sleeping form. Twice more it crashed down, then the letterbox rattled once, as something was pushed through it.

Rushing to the window, she looked out into the dark street. There was no one on the doorstep, just a dark, hooded figure running up the road, too far away to have any distinguishing features. Alex took a deep breath, and grabbed Gene's towelling dressing gown from the back of the bedroom door. She had no idea what she would find when she got down into the hall, and she had absolutely no intention of investigating anything clad only in a skimpy baby-doll nightie.

The hall was undisturbed, everything was as it should be, save for the white A4, envelope marked "_Alex,_" that lay in the middle of the wooden floorboards. Alex felt her mouth go dry. Slowly she picked it up by one corner. Downstairs in the kitchen, remembering the rotting meat from the other envelope, she spread a dustbin bag over the tabletop and cut open the top.

There was nothing inside apart from a folded piece of white paper. Unfolding it, she saw a message written in thick black ink and three lipstick x's at the bottom of the page. "_I've sent you a present, Alex." _

There was nothing else to indicate what or where the present might be. Alex placed the paper carefully back on the tabletop and forced herself to think clearly. Whoever had sent this had done it to frighten her. There was no other reason for it, no clues, no deeper meaning, just an unnerving message, posted through her door in the dead of the night. That's why someone had been watching the house, she realised. They'd been waiting for her to go to bed. They'd purposely waited until she'd most likely be asleep before making so much noise with the doorknocker. It was all deliberately calculated to unsettle her. She wondered what she should do now. It was no good going to back to the station, she couldn't do anything more than was already being done to find Lisa Hawkins.

Her first instinct was to ring Gene, but as she picked up the kitchen phone she realised that would be the worst thing to do. He'd probably insist on driving back home straight away and she didn't want him to do that. Whatever these meetings were about it was obviously important that he was a part of them. She was tempted to call Tom, but she didn't know if he was back at his house after the fire. The night shift at Collier Street would have a contact number for him, but asking for it would set tongues wagging, especially if anyone knew that Gene was away. She'd no wish to add yet another complication to Tom and Gene's troubled friendship.

It would have to be Ray, she decided. He was her DS after all, and it was the right thing to do, but she still felt weird about it. Her stubborn, independent side raged at the suggestion she call anyone at all. She wasn't some helpless female who needed a man to sort things out. "_No, but you are a police officer, and this is evidence. You have to tell someone else what has happened. Come on, Alex, just pick up the phone." _she berated herself sternly.

She made the call, keeping the conversation as short as possible as she could hear Angela's sleepy voice in the background asking what was going on. After she'd finished speaking to Ray, Alex re-checked that all the doors and windows were firmly locked, before going back to bed. She didn't bother taking off Gene's dressing gown; it was warm and comforting and she needed the illusion that he was somehow with her, keeping her safe.

In the morning, she was up early, wanting to get to the station to see if anything else had arrived there for her. Already showered and dressed by seven o'clock, she drew back her bedroom curtains, and spotted a familiar car parked just outside the house. Puzzled, Alex went downstairs and out into the street. "What are you two doing here?"

Ray and Chris smiled guiltily at her, looking like two naughty boys that she'd caught pinching sweets.

"Don't tell me you've been out here all night?" she asked, seeing Chris begin to yawn hugely.

Again, they both nodded and gave her the guilty grin. "We didn't think you'd be awake so early, Boss. Sorry. We were going to go before you noticed us."

Alex smiled. "Would you like breakfast?"

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"So tell me that again? You two left your respective girlfriends at your flats and sat outside my place in the cold and the rain all night, instead. Why? It's very lovely of you both, but I did say I was fine when I spoke to you on the phone, Ray."

"I know you did Boss, but the Guv wouldn't see it like that. He'd go mad if 'e found out we just left you on your own all night. Angie wasn't very happy about me leaving her, but between you and me, if it's a choice of 'er giving me grief and the Guv giving me a bollocking, I'd rather take my chances wi' Angie. At least I can sweet-talk 'er. The Guv would never forgive me!"

Chris nodded in agreement. "S'true, Boss. Shaz is just scary when she's cross, but the Guv's bloody terrifying."

She smiled to herself as she dished up their breakfast; bacon, eggs, beans and toast. What they'd done was over and above the call of duty and she was touched by their concern, even if it was generated by the fear of incurring Gene's wrath.

"OK. Eat that and then we'll go and see if this "present" is at the station. My guess is it will be, and if it's not, there'll definitely be another note somewhere."

Alex ate her cereal quickly, watching as Ray and Chris demolished their breakfasts in the blink of an eye.

"Didn't you fancy a fry-up then, Boss?" asked Chris, his mouth full of bacon.

She shook her head. "No. I save my fry-ups for the weekend. Gene's always teasing me about getting a fat arse, so I stick to cornflakes on work days."

"It isn't fat, Boss. I think you've got a great arse." Chris blushed furiously as Alex grinned.

"Thanks Chris."

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded, I really didn't. I haven't been looking, Boss, honest. I mean.. I noticed it.... who wouldn't ..as I said you've got a great arse...."

Chris floundered on, growing redder and more tongue-tied by the second.

Ray leaned over and shoved a piece of toast into Chris's mouth. "Shut up, you div," he laughed.

Chris wrenched the toast from his mouth and took a huge gulp of tea. "Oh god, don't ever tell the Guv I said any of that, please Ma'am."

"I won't. Don't worry." Alex took her car keys off the hook by the stairs. "I'm just going to get my car and then we'll go. Stick your plates in the dishwasher when you finished.

"I didn't know you 'ad your own car, Boss. Is it new?"

"Not really, Ray. It's more of a classic sort of model."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they all reached Fenchurch East, the lads had just about got over the fact that Alex was driving an E-type, but it didn't stop them asking to be allowed to sit in it and to look under the bonnet before they went into work.

"Come on, Ray! It's just an engine! It's really not that fascinating." Alex chivvied them both inside. "Right, let's check the post and see what turns up."

The padded, white envelope was easy to spot in the pile of unopened letters. Alex pulled in out and opened it carefully. "Oh shit" She grimaced, as she tipped a bra and a pair of knickers onto the waiting plastic evidence bag that she'd put on her desk.

The underwear was cheap and well worn, once white, but now faded to grey by frequent washing. More disturbing were the dirt and bloodstains that were immediately evident on both the bra and the knickers.

"I'm betting they belong to Lisa." Ray looked solemn.

Alex nodded. "Yes. I'm with you one that one, Ray. I have to say, I think it's highly unlikely she's still alive. We're almost certainly looking for a body now."

She assigned Chris and Ray the task of tracking down Lisa's friends to find out if they had any more information about her last movements on Sunday, while she and Shaz went to see Lisa's mother again.

Mrs Hawkins lived on one of the council estates that bordered the City to the east, sandwiched between Commercial Road and Cable Street. It was appallingly run-down and neglected, with graffiti covering most of the buildings, stinking, rubbish strewn stairwells and vandalised lifts.

"I'm glad we brought uniform with us," murmured Shaz as they climbed the stairs to number 47.

"I'm glad we took the pool car and not mine," Alex whispered back. "We'd have been lynched."

Shaz nodded, looking behind her nervously as they made their way along the concrete walkway. Alex knocked on the door and stepped back as a handsome, but vicious-looking young man, wearing jeans and a West Ham shirt opened it. "You the coppers? Took yer bloody time, dincha?"

"And you are...?" Alex refused to let his aggressive attitude intimidate her.

"Carl Evans. You found 'er yet?"

"No, Mr Evans, we haven't I'm afraid. We'd like another word with Lisa's mother." Alex smiled at him sweetly, meeting his mocking stare full on until he dropped his gaze.

"She's in 'ere. She's not gonna be much bloody use though, she's been drinking since you left 'er yesterday."

Alex sighed as she walked into the living room and caught sight of Mrs Hawkins, lying on the sofa, clutching a bottle of sherry. After a few attempts at getting her to try sit up and talk, Alex gave up. "This is useless, Shaz. She's not going to be able to tell us anything."

She turned to Carl who was watching them impassively from the doorway.

"We've been sent some items of clothing and we need some-one to take a look at them and tell us if they belong to Lisa or not."

"Why? You've got the description of wot she was wearin'. Wot d'you get paid for if you can't work out sumfing like that?"

Alex gritted her teeth, willing herself to be polite to this unpleasant young man. "Mr Evans, would you happen to know if Lisa owns a white bra and knickers?"

Carl leered at her in response. "Probably. I dunno. I never looked at 'er underwear that much. Too busy sticking it in 'er good and 'ard, if you catch my drift." He winked at her and Alex repressed a shudder of disgust.

"Well, thank you for you time. If you could perhaps call and let us know when Mrs Hawkins is in a fit state to talk to us, that would be most helpful."

Evans let out a mirthless laugh. "You'll be bloody lucky. Lisa'll be dead an' buried before she sobers up. Silly cow."

Alex and Shaz hurried back to the car in silence. The two burly uniformed officers that they'd taken with them waited for further instructions as the radio in the pool car spluttered into life. "Boss? Are you there? It's Ray. Uniform 'ave found a body in a van out by Limehouse Basin. Chris and I are on the way there now. They think it might be Lisa Hawkins."

"We'll be there in five minutes, Ray."


	43. Chapter 43

**Sorry this update is later than usual. A pox on all Christmas play rehersals, shopping , present-wrapping, and general festive nonsense!**

The white transit van had been parked on the waste ground when they'd arrived for work early that morning, according to the workman on a nearby building site. They'd just assumed that it was another builder's van and no-one had taken much notice of it, and certainly no-one had seen who'd parked it there. They'd only reported it, because the local kids had smashed the windscreen and were trying to break in to the back of it by throwing bricks at the doors.

"They'd have got a nasty shock if they had managed to get the doors open," remarked the uniformed Sergeant who'd made the discovery. "Would've put them off trashing cars for life. DS Carling has already identified the body as Lisa Hawkins, Ma'am. I think he's a bit shaken up about it if you ask me, but don't let him know I told you that. " Alex smiled her thanks before she looked over at Ray, who was sitting miserably on a pile of concrete blocks, cigarette in hand.

"Ready, Ma'am? I'll warn you, she's not a pretty sight."

As the Sergeant pulled open the doors, Alex took a deep breath before climbing carefully into the back. Lisa Hawkins lay naked and spread-eagled on an old mattress, her wrists chained to a metal support on either side of the van. Her pale skin was covered in bruises, some purple-yellow, some a fresh blue-black. There were cuts and scratches all over her body and her face was a bruised, bloody mess. Strangulation marks were visible, although partially obscured by a piece of brown cardboard that hung round her neck by a string. Written on it in lipstick was the word. "_Punished__._"

Alex felt her stomach clench in panic at the sight of the red raw flesh of Lisa's wrists where she'd obviously struggled violently in a vain attempt to free herself. She remembered her own sense of hopeless terror as she'd tried to escape from Waltham, and she dug her fingernails hard into her palms to stop herself shaking as her memory flashed back to the room in the warehouse. She hadn't given it a moment's thought when she'd been handcuffed to Gene, that night in Soho. She'd known she was safe with him and the whole experience had been been deliciously exciting, but now, faced with Lisa's tortured body, all Alex could feel was horror and revulsion. She shivered, reluctantly imagining the ordeal that Lisa must have gone through before she died.

She took a quick look round at the rest of the van's interior. There was nothing else in it as far as she could immediately see, although forensics would to do a far more detailed search. Climbing thankfully back out into the fresh air, she sent Chris and Shaz over to the building site to find out what the builders may have seen. Nodding a greeting to the police photographer who had just arrived, Alex made her way over to Ray, who was still sitting on the blocks, turning his cigarette packet over and over in his hands.

She sat down next to him. "You OK?" she asked him, trying not to let too much sympathy show in her voice, in case he went all "bloke" on her. He shrugged, concentrating on stubbing out his cigarette, not meeting her gaze.

"She was raped, wasn't she, Boss?"

"From the state she's in, I'd say it's almost certain that she was." Alex didn't know of any way to make the answer less stark.

"More than once by the look of things.... and then they strangled 'er. She was only seventeen! Why couldn't they 'ave just left 'er alone?" Ray's voice cracked slightly. "I should never 'ave given 'er the money. Trouble is I liked 'er. She always made me 'an Chris laugh, even when we'd arrested 'er for knicking stuff. Poor kid... she never 'ad bloody chance."

"No, she didn't, but you can't blame yourself Ray. You did what you thought was right at the time."

He shrugged and lit another cigarette, before standing up slowly. "I'd best go and check how those two are doing, Boss." he said, jerking his head in the direction of Chris and Shaz. "You know, make sure they're doing things properly." He walked off, squaring his shoulders as he went, but Alex noticed he kept his head turned away as he walked past the van.

Alex let him go and went to talk to uniform about how much of the surrounding area of waste ground should be searched. When she'd finished that, she got Ray to drive Shaz back to the station to start looking through the records for similar cases, wanting him out of the way when they removed the body from the van. Ray Carling was a hardened copper, but they'd all experienced cases that had affected them unduly at some point in their careers and Alex didn't see any reason in making things worse for him. After they'd gone, Alex sat and wrote up her notes in the site office that Chris had commandeered as a temporary interview room, while he finished talking to the workmen.

When the crime scene was clear, with only the lines of police tape left to show that something out of the ordinary had happened, Chris drove them both back to the station. Alex could see he wanted to ask her something so she stopped going over her notes and waited for him to gather the courage to speak.

"It's Valentine's Day soon, isn't it, Boss?"

"Ye, Chris, I believe it is. I hope you're going to remember to get Shaz some flowers. It might seem a bit ridiculous to you lot, but us girls quite like that sort of soppy, romantic stuff, every once in while."

"I was thinking of something a bit more special than just a bunch of flowers." Chris stopped at traffic lights and looked anxiously at Alex. "I 'm going to ask her to marry me. What do you think? She won't say no, will she Boss? I couldn't cope with that, not in front of all those people... I'd have to leave my job an' everything because I couldn't work with her if she said no... I'd just go to pieces..I couldn't deal with the shame of it.."

"Chris" Alex's tone was very calm.

"Yes, Boss?"

"The lights have gone green," she prompted gently, biting back a smile. When he'd negotiated the busy road junction, she carried on talking. "I think it's a wonderful idea. I really don't think that Shaz will turn you down, you know. The fact that you've been going out with each other for this long is a pretty good indication of how she feels about you. Have you bought the ring yet?"

Chris grimaced. "That's what I wanted to ask you about, Boss. I'm not very good at stuff like that and I don't really know what she'd like, so I was wondering if you could help me choose one."

"Oh, I'd love too!" Alex's eyes sparkled at the thought of it. "Do you know where you're going to get it from?"

Chris shook his head. "No idea, but I want it to be from somewhere proper."

"Well, in that case, we could go and see what Mr Pargetter has. He's lovely and his prices are very reasonable, especially for friends of Gene. My necklace came from his shop. We'll go over there next week and take a look."

"OK, Boss. Shaz loves your necklace. She's always going on about it. She says it was dead romantic of the Guv to give you something like that."

Alex smiled and closed her fist round the pendant at her neck; it's presence an ever tangible reminder of Gene's feelings for her.

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She went for a drink with them at six, even though all she really wanted to do was go home and wait for Gene. She needed to make sure that Ray was OK and although he was still subdued, he cheered up considerably when Angela arrived. At half seven, Alex went to settle the bar bill with Luigi and found herself standing beside Carmen.

"On your own tonight, Ma'am? Out with someone else is 'e?" The younger girl smiled maliciously at her. "Aren't you worried? A bloke like that will shag anything once he's had a drink or two."

Alex laughed disparagingly, one eyebrow raised in contempt, as she looked Carmen up and down.

"Funny you should mention that. Didn't he shag you once when he was horribly drunk? Fortunately, he seems to have seen the error of his ways since that little episode. Maybe you have to scrape the very bottom of the barrel, before you realise you actually want something with far more class." She gave the outraged Carmen a beaming smile before sweeping out of the bar to collect the Jag.

When she reached home, she could see the Quattro already parked outside. She locked the Jag back in Ros's garage and almost ran round the corner to the house, so desperate was she to see Gene. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed him, both at work and at home. She burst through the front door and saw his coat flung over the bottom of the banisters and the light on in the sitting room. He'd lit the fire and was lying on the sofa, dressed in jeans and a black shirt, whisky in hand. Alex's heart constricted with the delight of seeing him there, where he belonged.

"I've been waiting for you, Bolly. Where've you been?" he growled, his eyes shinning silver in the firelight.

"Sorry. I had to make sure Ray was OK. I'll tell you about it later." Crossing the room, she knelt down and kissed him, feeling rather than hearing the groan that issued from him as she tasted him, sliding her tongue slowly into his mouth, flickering it hotly against his, her fingers fumbling at the buttons of his shirt as the need for him ripped through her. Gene reached over and hooked his hands under her arms, lifting her up onto the sofa. He clasped her to him and rolled over, pinning her between the back of the sofa and the length of his body.

"How did your meetings go?" she asked him, breathlessly as he kissed her neck.

"I don't want to talk about it" he mumbled, his mouth hot against her skin, working his way up to the sensitive spot below her ear.

"That bad then," she said, tipping her head over as his teeth nipped at her earlobe.

He stopped what he was doing and pulled back to look at her, smiling. "No. It all went really well. I just don't want to talk about it, because I'll get angry. I don't want to be angry, Alex, not when I'm feeling this bloody horny. I've had pictures of you and me in my mind all day and now I want to make them real."

Alex laughed softly, bending her head so that she could lick his neck, biting gently along the line of his jaw, his stubble scratching against her lips and tongue.

"This needs to come off" he told her as he pushed her black jumper up over her breasts, one hand reaching round and undoing her bra. He groaned as her soft, warm flesh spilled out against his bare chest, shifting slightly so that he could reach down and run his tongue over one rapidly hardening nipple. Alex felt him biting gently, drawing the flesh through his teeth, gradually increasing the sensation until there was an edge of pain. She moaned, writhing against him, wriggling her arms out of her jumper and bra, and flinging them over the edge of the sofa. He bit her again and once more, she urged her hips against his, her fingers tangled tightly in his hair.

He growled low in his chest. "I want you now, Alex. Been waiting too long. Need to fuck you." Gene pulled her upright, grabbing her hips, and positioning her on all fours on the sofa cushions. Alex herself melt as he pushed her skirt up round her hips and swiftly pulled her knickers down.

"Been thinking about this since last night," he groaned, as his fingers stroked between her thighs, parting her flesh and slipping inside her. He edged his thumb forward, teasing her clit with small fluttering strokes, making her moan with delight. She heard him undoing his jeans and felt him move closer, kneeling between her legs, one foot on the floor to steady himself as he thrust into her in one fierce, fluid movement. Alex felt her whole body convulse as he pushed up inside her. She groaned loudly and threw her head back as he began to move, with hard, powerful strokes that drove his cock deep into her. With every thrust he made, Alex was jolted forward, only the firm grip of his hands on her hips kept her steady. She grabbed the arm of the sofa and locked her elbows rigid as Gene plunged into her.

"Good?" he growled, through gritted teeth.

Alex nodded and gasped, "Yes!...oh god... yes."

"Let me hear how good it is, Alex" His voice, that deep, growling tone full of urgent lust made Alex shudder with pleasure just as much as the feeling of him deep inside her did.

She groaned again, arching her back to take him deeper.

"Louder Alex," he told her, pulling back slowly and thrusting into her again with short, stabbing strokes. "Show me how much you've been aching for me. How much you've wanted me to do this to you."

Alex writhed, desperate for him to be deeper in her. "Oh!.....jesus... fuck... harder! ...Oh god!..... Gene!" Her voice rose to a shout as he plunged into her, once, twice before almost withdrawing again.

"I said louder, Alex," he rasped. "Scream, just like you told me last night. Close your eyes and imagine it...... I can see it Alex. You're over the desk in my office, people outside... and you're screaming as I fuck you so... _hard_." he grunted out the last word, thrusting in deep, his fingers reaching round and stroking her clit, relentlessly. Alex felt the sensations building inside her, the beginning of that intense, almost agonising delight that his voice and his touch always unleashed within her.

She screamed. Long and loud, over and over with the sheer ecstasy of it all, her head thrown back, so that the full force of her scream could rip from her throat, feeling the white-hot heat surging up through her body, tightening and convulsing round him as he buried himself deep inside her, his hips slamming against her, again and again.

"Christ, Alex!...fuck..I'm... oh...yes!" She heard him shout in triumph and his fingers dug hard into the flesh of her hips as he spilled into her, holding her to him tightly as he fought for breath.

"Bloody hell, Bolly.....god..... I missed you..." Gene eased them back down onto the cushions, still joined, curling himself round her. "I missed you so much" he murmured again, reaching up to pull the throw over them both.

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Alex woke an hour or so later, her stomach growling as she realised she was ravenously hungry. "Gene? You awake?"

"Mmmph? I am now. What?"

"Are you hungry?" she asked him, wriggling around to face him. He growled and pulled her closer to him, biting her bare shoulder gently

"Starving" he told her, between kisses, moving slowly lower, "but let's go to bed this time. There's more room of manoeuvre."

"No! Not that sort of hungry! I mean do you want something to eat."

"Yes, I do. Patience, Alex, I'll get there in a minute," he teased as he worked his way down her stomach, his tongue licking at her bare skin.

"Gene! I meant food!"

He looked up teasingly. "You'd rather have food than me? I'm hurt, Alex. Wounded to the core."

She laughed. "I'd rather have food and then have you again. I can concentrate better on what I'm doing if I've eaten."

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "We'll have beans on toast. That's quick, and then I can take you to bed.

"That's not very exciting...just plain old beans on toast."

"Put some cheese on it. That'll liven it up. Anyway, it doesn't need to be exciting. You've got me. I'm all the excitement a woman needs."

Alex managed to locate her jumper from where she'd thrown it, and pulled it back on as she left the room. As she went downstairs, she remembered that at some point that evening, she was going to have to tell him about the letter and the discovery of Lisa's body, but she really didn't want to break the mood by talking about work. Today's developments meant that they would have to work the weekend anyway, chasing up as many lines of enquiry as they could.

She got the plates out of the cupboard and found a tin of beans, hunting in the drawer for the tin-opener. As she did so, she caught sight of a cardboard box over by the sofa that definitely hadn't been there when she'd gone to work. Why the hell was there a Golden Wonder crisp box in her kitchen? Surely Gene hadn't bought an entire box? She felt a shiver go down her spine as the more rational part of her brain told her that it could be another unwelcome gift from whoever had sent the letters.

"Gene! Can you come down here for a minute, please?" she called.

She heard his footsteps coming across the hall. "I can come anywhere you like, sweetheart," he told her, appearing with a lecherous grin. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, she pointed to the box.

"Do you know anything about that?" she asked him.

He laughed, striding over to it and opening the top carefully. "Bloody Hell! I'd forgotten about this! Good job it didn't escape."

Alex looked mystified as he beckoned her over.

"Come and see what I found."

She peered over his shoulder cautiously. "Oh!"

Curled up at the bottom of the box, was a thin brindle puppy, all long legs and big brown eyes. At the sound of Alex's voice, it cautiously wagged a long, thin tail and pricked up it's floppy ears.

"Where the hell did you get that?" She laughed in delight, reaching down to pick the puppy up.

"Watford Gap Services. I stopped for petrol and there it was, just sitting at the side of the slip road, so I picked it up. Wouldn't have stood a chance if I'd left it there, poor little bugger."

Alex looked at Gene, one eyebrow quirked in amusement. "I thought you were supposed to be this "hard-as-nails," heartless bastard? Rescuing abandoned dogs doesn't really go with your carefully cultivated image Gene. What happened?"

He laughed, clearly embarrassed. "I moved in with this nutty, posh bird and she's made me go all soppy." He shrugged. "Anyway, I blagged a box off the man in the petrol station and stuck it in that. It slept all the way home."

"She." said Alex "She slept all the way home."

"Really? Good, I can call her Mabel, then."

"Mabel?" queried Alex.

"'Yep. She looks just like my Aunt Mabel; all skinny with big, brown eyes."

"How many aunts did you actually have, Gene?"

"Lots," he replied, gloomily. "All of them ready to spit on their hankies and scrub the dirt off my face if I so much as looked in their direction."

The puppy had snuggled into Alex's arms contentedly and as she looked down at it, her face grew worried.

"We can't keep her. You do realise that, don't you?"

"Why not? I thought I'd send her to be trained at the Dog Unit. She could ride round wi' us the Quattro, bite big chunks out of lowlife scum...." He laughed at Alex's shocked face. "I'm not serious, Bolly! I know we can't keep her. I though Ros could have her. Joking aside, she really does need a dog. She's lonely."

"That's a great idea! We'll take her round there in the morning. I suppose she'll need something to eat now, as well as us."

"I don't think dogs eat beans on toast, Bolly."

Alex didn't dignify his remark with a reply, putting the puppy down on the floor so that it could stretch its gangly legs. It looked up at her and ran to the back door, whining loudly. Alex let her out into the garden, pulling the door behind her to keep out the cold wind.

"I'll go and find something for it to sleep on. It can't stay in that box all night."

"She, Bolly, she, not it," muttered Gene as he dropped two slices of bread into the toaster.

Alex returned five minutes later, just in time to hear the high-pitched puppy barks that were issuing from the garden. Pushing open the door, she let Mabel back in, laughing as the puppy's whole body wagged itself to and fro in a frenzy of delight.

"She's house-trained then."

"That makes two of us," he told her, putting their plates on the table. " I've put cheese on the beans, Bolly and I expect you to melt wi' excitement at my culinary prowess."

Alex grinned. "I'm melting at the thought of something, Gene, but it's definitely not your way with food."

While they ate, Alex brought him up to date with everything that had happened. He listened in silence, his eyes narrowing dangerously as she told him about the note that had been posted through the letter box.

"Why the hell didn't you phone me, Alex? You should have been alone here, all bloody night, wi' some nutter outside!"

She reached out, stroking that back of his hand reassuringly. "I didn't want you to worry. Anyway, I wasn't alone. Ray and Chris kept watch outside the house all night. I didn't ask them to, they just did."

Gene sniffed, turning his mouth down into a grimace. "Well, they know I would've ripped their heads off if they hadn't."

"That's what they told me, too. I can take care of myself though, Gene."

"I know you can, Bols, but that's not the point. You're part of the team, and we all look after each other. You know that." His fingers curled round hers, his thumb tracing small circles across her palm and up the inside of her wrist.

He looked up at her, his eyes suddenly intense with desire. "No more work talk. Come to bed, Alex. I want to show you how much I missed you, all over again."

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"_Five-thirty!_" Alex glared at the clock grumpily as she tried to get back to sleep, doing her best to ignore the heart-rending howls that were drifting up from the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, she reached back with her elbow and nudged Gene in the ribs. Getting no response, she did it again, harder.

"Alex!... what's that for?" He cuddled closer into her, his fingers lightly skimming across her hip.. "Still....... now I'm awake, it'd be a shame to waste you."

Alex felt her body responding as it always did when he touched her, and arched against him, instinctively. He began to kiss her shoulder, his hands stroking up over her stomach to cup her breasts. Alex groaned with pleasure, but the noise from the kitchen was far too off-putting to ignore any longer. "Gene! Lovely as that is, I didn't wake you up just for that reason. Your dog is howling her heart out downstairs. Can't you hear it?"

Gene sighed, and listened for a minute. "She's not my dog, she's Ros's."

"Well, until you give her to Ros, as far as I'm concerned, she's your bloody dog. Please go and see what she wants. I can't stand the noise any longer."

Muttering under his breath, Gene left the bedroom, shrugging on his dressing gown as he went. She heard him stomping downstairs and then, mercifully, the howls ceased. Sighing contentedly, she stretched, delighting in the heavy, sated feeling of her limbs and body. It was always the same when they'd been apart for a night. They couldn't leave each other alone, only stopping when they were both too exhausted to move. Her last orgasm had left her so shaken that she'd hardly been able to speak, clinging to Gene as he'd shuddered to his climax, the two of them falling asleep still wrapped around each other.

Alex drifted into a doze, waiting for Gene to get back so that they could carry on what they'd been doing without any interruptions. The alarm went off at seven, and as she woke, she realised that Gene hadn't come back to bed. He wasn't in the bathroom either, so she went down to the kitchen, to find him asleep on the sofa, the blanket flung over him and a sleepy, but vastly contented puppy curled up at his side. Catching sight of Alex, Mabel wagged her tail, but didn't move.

Alex smiled. "You think you're his dog too, don't you?"

She shook Gene's shoulder gently, bending down to trail kisses lightly over his neck and jaw, working her way up to his mouth. He growled sleepily as she captured his bottom lip with her teeth, biting at it gently. His eyes flickered open, slowly and she stroked her fingers lightly over his cheek, pulling back slightly to smile down at him.

"Wake up. I don't mind you sleeping with the new woman in your life, but we should at least have some breakfast before we go into work."

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They took Mabel round to Ros's on their way to the station. She was enchanted by the puppy and delighted by Gene's suggestion that she should keep her.

"What sort of dog do you think she is?" she asked as the three of them watched the puppy exploring the kitchen.

"Lurcher" declared Gene, decisively. "Whippet cross though, not Greyhound. Smaller bones."

"You sure?" queried Ros. "Look at the length of her legs."

"Whippet cross," reiterated Gene, and Alex grinned.

"Don't start questioning his ability to recognise a whippet, Ros. He is a Northerner, after all. We ignorant Southerners know absolutely nothing about this subject."

Gene laughed. "There you go Ros, even Bolly recognises my superior intellect." He stood up, draining his cup of tea. Alex watched in amusement as he placed his cup and saucer gently back on the table. Gene usually moaned and complained if he couldn't have tea from a proper mug, but at Ros's he never, ever uttered a word. Instead, he drank with incongruous care from her beautiful, bone china cups that were so thin and delicate, they looked as though they would shatter the minute he picked them up.

He sighed, regretfully. "Come on, Alex. As much as I'd rather be doing something far nicer on a Saturday, I can't put it off any longer. We'd best get to work and find the murdering bastards. Lisa might have been a pain in the neck sometimes, but she didn't deserve to be treated like that."


	44. Chapter 44

**Right, normal service has now been resumed now that we've got all the Christmas nonsense out of the way.**

**To everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 43: Thank you so much and I'm so sorry I didn't send you all review replies but my internet connection withered and died, and when I finally coaxed it back into life, the annual festive madness had me firmly in it's vice-like grip.**

**Anyway, thank you all for reading and I hope that "44" is up to scratch. For a while I was worried that I'd lost them in the Christmas break, but fingers crossed, they seem to be back now. **

**CHAPTER 44**

By Sunday, they were no further forward, utterly defeated by the conspiracy of silence that surrounded the murder of Lisa Hawkins. No one would say a word, even though it was absolutely certain that somebody out there knew something.

None of their informants would tell them anything. Even "Scummy Nigel" who lurked on the fringes of the criminal world and who could usually be relied upon to have some sort of tip off, had refused to talk to them when they'd caught up with him outside the pub the previous afternoon.

"No way! I'm not telling you anything!" His face had been twisted with fear, but it hadn't been because of Gene.

"Why not?" Gene had snarled at him, lifting him up bodily by the lapels of his coat.

"'Cos I'm more frightened of him than I am of you!"

"You sure about that, Nigel? You don't know what I can do!" hissed Gene, his face inches from his terrified informant's.

"Yes I do! At the end of the day, all you lot can do is put me in prison! He can hurt me, hurt my wife! He can hurt anyone he wants to! You're a hard bastard Mr Hunt, but this bloke's a monster. He'll do anything!"

Gene had released his grip, flinging Nigel away from him in disgusted frustration. He'd scuttled away as quickly as he could, looking round nervously. Alex and Ray had seen him coming out of the bookies a couple of hours later, hunched over as if in pain and they'd both caught sight of the black eye and split lip that now marred his face. When he'd seen them, he'd ducked his head and shuffled away down a side street as fast as he could.

Alex recalled the expression of fear on his face as she sat at her desk, re-reading all the witness statements that they'd gathered. No one had seen or heard anything. Lisa had set off from her Mum's flat to meet Carl and had seemingly vanished somewhere along the way. Whoever was behind her disappearance clearly had the power to terrify an entire community into silence.

"There's something not right about Carl Evans. He told me that Lisa would be dead and buried before her Mother sobered up. Why would he use that phrase? They're not the words of a concerned boyfriend."

Ray shook his head. "He's scum Boss, I'll give you that, but he's got an alibi. He rang Lisa from the pub, 'e was heard making the call, and it were 'im who rang 'er mum to say she wasn't there."

"Why was he in the pub anyway? I thought he was arrested in the drug raid?"

"He was" sighed Gene, "but we interviewed him he claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on. He maintains that he was just asked to sit outside in the car, which he didn't know was stolen. It's complete bollocks, of course, but it was enough to get him bailed."

Alex watched in concern as he lent against Ray's desk, dragging moodily at his cigarette. His face was drawn, his brow furrowed angrily. She knew that his inability to close down this drug ring had been eating away at him for weeks and Lisa's death at their hands only made things worse. He picked up the photos of Lisa's body, flicking through them before flinging them down again. "Seventeen" he roared furiously. "Too bloody young to have that happen to her!"

He slammed his way back into his office, kicking the door closed, raining blows down onto the back of it with his boot. Alex shared a look with Ray, who shrugged helplessly. In unspoken agreement, they left Gene alone to work out his anger in his own way, both wincing as the waste-paper bin crashed against the partition wall.

At one o'clock, a significantly calmer Gene declared that enough was enough, recognising that they were all tired and demoralised by going over the same old ground. "No more," he announced wearily. "We all need something to eat. I'm starving. Bolly, we got any food at ours?"

"Roast chicken?" she told him. "I can make it stretch if we all have lots of roast potatoes with it."

Inevitably, everyone ended up back at the house, including Angela, who had been phoned by Ray, at Alex's suggestion. He'd gone and collected her from her mum's house as well. Gene had rolled his eyes and muttered something about being "under the thumb" the minute Ray had left the office.

"Stop it" she'd warned him. "It's nice that he's got someone special."

Gene had shrugged. "Yeh, well. It had to happen sometime, I suppose. You lot get your bloody claws into all of us eventually."

Alex had just shaken her head, ignoring his scornful remarks. Gene had been spoiling for a fight and she wasn't going to rise to the bait.

"He's only following your example, Gene."

"What? How do you work that one out?"

She'd smiled. "Ray's only gone and got himself a proper girlfriend since we've been living together. You could say it's all your fault really," she'd added, with a wicked grin.

Gene had snorted derisively, shrugging on his coat. "Well, he's only got himself to blame as far as I'm concerned. It'll all go tits-up within six months. You mark my words." He'd turned to glare at Chris and Shaz. "You coming with us or are you planning on staying here for what's left of the weekend?" he'd growled tetchily, before sweeping through the doors.

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To Alex's immense relief, Gene took himself off to the sitting room to play cards with Ray and Chris as soon as they got back. A game of poker was just what he needed to take his mind of everything. She wasn't unduly worried about the outcome as she refused to let them play for money at home, insisting that they used matchsticks instead. It stopped any bad feeling and, more importantly stopped the games going on long into the early hours as one or the other of them tried to win back what they'd lost. To Alex's surprise, Gene had phoned Ros just before he'd left the station and invited her to join them. He'd seen Alex's puzzled look as he'd put the phone down.

"She's a bloody fantastic poker player. I want to see Ray's face when he realises he's been beaten by her."

She was glad that Ros was going to be with them for the afternoon. Her presence would prevent Gene from becoming too withdrawn and introspective. He'd drink less as well, and generally be far better behaved. Alex ended up in the kitchen, with Shaz and Angela, watching the television while they all sorted out the dinner, helped along by a bottle of wine or two and she found herself calmly accepting the fact that the none of the men had offered to help with the meal.

Although she couldn't remember much of her former life, she knew for certain that her 2008 incarnation would have definitely kicked up a huge fuss about such a thing. She'd have made everyone help regardless of what they were doing, or made them all go out to eat instead. However, in this version of her existence, it all seemed to work just fine as it was. Maybe it was because Gene was part of her life now. She had no need to be as pushy and dominant with him as she had become with Alistair. She could just relax and step back from being the one in charge all time.

"I hope they appreciate this," she mused. "Sitting up there being waited on hand and foot."

"Better than them being down here getting in the way, Ma'am." Angela reasoned.

Shaz nodded in agreement. "Much better. They'd only tell us what to do."

Alex thought about it for a few seconds before giving the girls a wry smile. "You're right, both of you. We are much better off without them."

Gene found them an hour or so later when he ventured downstairs to find another bottle of whisky. They were sitting on the sofa watching "The Guns of Navarone", their hearts a-flutter over Gregory Peck and David Niven. He stopped his search through the cupboards when he realised what they were watching, settling himself in the armchair, with an ecstatic Mabel on his lap.

"What do you think you're doing?" Alex asked teasingly, risking him snapping at her.

"I'm watching the film, Bolly. I like this one." Gene didn't quite meet her eyes as he spoke, but he seemed less tense than before.

"I thought you were playing cards?" She nudged Shaz.

"Well, I was, but they can do without me for a while. Be quiet now, Alex. I'm missing a good bit."

"Ros has beaten you, hasn't she?" Alex felt Shaz begin to shake with suppressed laughter beside her.

Gene scowled at her. "Are you watching this film or not Bolly?"

"She has! She's beaten you! How much did you lose?" Alex crowed with laughter.

He shrugged. "All my matchsticks" he admitted with a rueful grin, before trying to change the subject. "Where's the grub anyway? We're all starving. There'd better be gravy. You can't have roast...."

"... without gravy" Alex finished for him.

He gave her a tired smile "Am I getting that predictable in my old age."

Shaz shook her head vehemently, emboldened by the consumption of the best part of a bottle of wine.

"Why do you keep saying that? You're not old, Guv! You're in your prime. All the girls at the station fancy you, you know."

Alex groaned. "Oh god, don't tell him that, Shaz! He'll be even more unmanageable now!"

"Well, it's true Ma'am! You know it is! Tell, him Angie....all the secretaries think the Guv's gorgeous, don't they?"

Angela blushed and nodded. "S'true."

Gene grinned, looking absurdly pleased at this revelation, his dark mood lifting suddenly.

"'Course it is" he replied. "Why wouldn't they fancy me – I'm irresistible apparently. Ask Bolly." He winked at her and she laughed.

"Totally, even when you're drunk and acting like an idiot. Now, carve the chicken, while I tell everyone dinner's ready."

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When everyone had finally gone home, in various states of inebriation, they lay curled up together in their bed, Gene tracing small circles across Alex's shoulders, his gaze distant. His light-hearted mood had faded again and he looked careworn, wrung out with the stress of being the Guv. "_Still handsome, though,_" she thought, studying his face. He would always have an aura of power, of rough masculinity that radiated from him, even when he was on the edge of exhaustion. She wondered what he must been like in his younger days, when he was still full of boundless energy and unshakable self-belief. "_He's a force to be reckoned with now: he must have been invincible then_," she mused, her skin tingling at his touch.

"You still haven't told me about your meetings," she said quietly, reaching up to stroke a stay lock of hair back from his forehead.

He sighed deeply. "It's not that I don't want to, Alex, but if I tell you, then it all becomes real. If I don't tell anyone, then I can keep on pretending that none of it is happening."

"You're not being pensioned off, are you? I know that lots of officers are. Scarman's seen to that" She shifted slightly, lifting herself up on her elbow to see at his face properly.

He smiled sadly. "No! Far from it. The bastards haven't got me yet, but if this goes ahead, then everything will change. I won't be working with you any more, Bolly, and that scares the shit out of me."

"Why?" she asked him softly, her hand cupping his cheek. "I can take care of myself Gene. I'll be OK without you there to watch over me."

"I know that Alex, but it doesn't stop me feeling like this." He gazed at her intently and Alex felt her heart lift at the openness of his expression, his lack of awkwardness as he told her how he felt. "Every single bloody day, I worry that something, or someone is going to take you away from me. Makes me feel all twisted up inside to think that you would be out there without me. I hate it. I hate feeling this vulnerable." His eyes were cloudy with emotion, and Alex put her finger to his lips.

"Enough" she whispered. "You are not going to lose me, Gene. We'll work something out. You can tell me about it all when you feel ready to"

She lent forward, kissing him gently, feeling him move closer to her as she did so, his hand stroking slowly along her thigh.

"What does Elvis say?" she asked him archly. "A little less talk, a little more action."

"It's "conversation," Bolly, and don't ever misquote The King. It's a crime against music."

Alex pulled him to her, kissing him deeply, her tongue entwining hotly with his, feeling herself melt as she always did at the taste of his mouth, the smell of his skin and feeling of his body against hers.

She moved down him slowly, licking at his skin, her tongue flicking hotly over his nipple. He gasped, his fingers digging hard into her upper arms when she did it again. She smiled, moving lower, sliding her arm round his hip to hold him still as she lapped gently at the tip of his swollen cock. She heard him growl in approval, the growl tailing off into a moan as she licked at the sensitive underside before wrapping her lips round him, taking him into her hot mouth, inch by inch. His hands tangled into her hair, pulling it away from her face and she knew that he was watching her. She hummed gently in satisfaction as she took him deeper into her mouth, working her tongue along his straining length, slowly but surely bringing him to his peak.

"Fucking hell, Alex.....you do that for much longer an' I'm gonna come" he gasped.

She drew back, sucking gently at the head of his cock, her tongue flickering across his burning hot flesh. She looked up at him; his face was flushed, his pupils huge with desire.

"Go on then." she murmured. "Do it. Come in my mouth, Gene."

He let out a ragged groan as she took him her mouth again, hooking his leg over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. As she sucked him eagerly, her tongue working him, he thrust his hips towards her, his hands clutching at her head, holding her onto him. She reached out a hand and stroked his balls with her fingers, they were hard and tight and as she curled her tongue around him, he came, his cock swelling and jerking with the force of his climax.

"Christ!.......god all bloody mighty!" His whole body shuddered and she heard him gasping for breath. She held him in her mouth for a few moments, savouring the sharp, salty taste of him, before she moved back up the bed. He pulled her close to him, dropping shaky kisses on the top of her head.

"Give me minute, Bolly an' I'll sort you out" he gasped. "Just let me recover. Fucking hell, Alex, you're good at that."

She raised her eyebrows. "You're a connoisseur of that particular technique then, are you Gene?" she teased, and she saw him shrug.

"Well, I have had quite a few in my time, you know that, Bolly."

"A lot more than quite a few I suspect. "

"Yeah. OK. A lot more." He looked at her, seriously, almost embarrassed at her tacit acknowledgment of his past. "You know what I'm like, Alex. Well, what I was like. There's been lots of women, I've never denied that, but it's all different now. You're worth more than any of them...all of them. I don't want anyone else."

He dipped his head, kissing his way along her neck and collarbone until his mouth found the soft flesh of her breast. She felt his teeth nipping gently at her, his tongue teasing her nipple up into a hard peak, his breath hot against her skin.

"I love you" he whispered, so quietly she could hardly hear him. "Love the feel of you, love the taste you. Everything about you. I want you forever, Alex."

He stroked a hand down her stomach, the heat from his fingers burning her skin as the trailed across her hip. His fingers pushed insistently between her thighs as his mouth covered her breast, sucking hard at the tender flesh. It was Alex's turn to moan and writhe against him as he slipped one long, lean finger into the slick, oily warmth that pooled between her legs.

The heel of his hand pressed down onto her clit and she pushed her hips up against it, rocking them slowly to increase the pressure. He pushed another finger slowly inside her and she bucked up against him hard,her hand coming down to grip his wrist, wanting him deeper inside her.

"Another one?" he asked her and she gasped as he curled his fingers up inside her, flexing them up and down in a rhythm that made her whole body start to shake with sensation.

"Yes," she moaned, "More.... oh god...yes... " A third finger moved inside her, stretching her heated flesh. Alex bit her bottom lip between her teeth and whimpered with delight.

"Look at me, Alex" he ordered with a throaty growl. She opened her eyes to find him watching her intently, his eyes searching her face. "Tell me you love me" he said hoarsely.

"I love you." she whispered, her voice breaking into a gasp as he worked his fingers faster.

"How much do you love me, Alex?" His mouth was curled into a half smile but his eyes were deadly serious and Alex knew what he wanted from her. He wanted affirmation. He needed her to make herself as vulnerable as he had.

"More than anything" she told him, her breath catching her throat as his teeth grazed her nipple, gently at first, then harder, making her cry out.

His fingers thrust up into her as his teeth moved to her neck, biting hard. Alex dug her nails into his back and sobbed with pleasure as his thumb brushed across her throbbing clit.

"How much? Tell me Alex. I need to know." he growled, insistently, his silver blue gaze burning into hers.

"More than anything....more than any one...... ever!....No one else, Gene....only you!.....I love you!"

Alex writhed against him, arching up off the bed, shuddering uncontrollably as her orgasm took hold of her. She was aware of nothing but the feeling of his fingers within her, and his mouth on her neck, as she spilled over him, her juices soaking his hand. He held her tightly as she recovered, kissing her neck gently at the place where he'd bitten her.

"So now you know." she told him, shakily, when she found that she could speak.

He laughed softly. "Yes. I do."

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On Monday morning, they were both at their desks by half seven, Alex re-reading her report and making notes for her meetings, and Gene sorting out his paperwork, assigning tasks to each member of the team for the day, determined to get everything organised before he left for Laurence Holt's funeral. Alex sighed, wishing that she could go with Tom instead, but there was absolutely no chance of that. She had meetings all morning now as well the original one at one o'clock that afternoon.

They sat in silence, each concentrating on their own work, until the rest of the team began to show up for work. At nine, DS Bartlett arrived back in the office after a week's leave. The lads all crowded round him, bringing him up to speed on all the cases and teasing him about having the snip quickly, before he ended up with half a dozen kids.

He traded derogatory remarks with them all, making his way towards Gene's office. Alex stood up and caught his eye as he passed her desk.

"How's the baby doing, Dave? And how's Susan? Everything OK with her?"

He nodded, his face softening as he searched in his jacket pocket. "He's doing great thanks, Boss. So's Sue. She's home now, but the little 'un has to stay in hospital 'til he's put on a bit of weight. Apart from that, he's fine. Lovely little lad."

He took a picture from his wallet. "Here you are, Boss. That's 'im. All arms and legs, isn't he?" He beamed at her proudly as she looked at the photo.

"Oh Dave, he's gorgeous. He looks like Jack." She handed the photo to Shaz who'd come over to take a look. DS Bartlett shifted nervously as Gene emerged from his office to clap him on the shoulder.

"Welcome back, Dave. Everything OK?"

Bartlett looked more than a little startled at Gene's question. None of the lads really knew how to cope with the Guv when he was being nice.

"Yes Guv. I was just telling DI Drake that everything's fine." He swallowed nervously as Gene went to disappear back into his lair. "Guv! Can I ask something?"

Gene raised his eyebrows and nodded briefly. "'Course you can Dave. Spit it out quick though. I've got all this bastard paperwork to get through."

Dave Bartlett took a deep breath. "Er... well.. me and the Missus.. ... we wanted to ask you..we wondered ... if you would... if you'd consider being his Godfather?" he finished in rush, blushing hotly. Alex saw him square his shoulders for the inevitable sarcastic rejection.

She watched Gene carefully as he took in what Bartlett had just asked him. An expression of delighted confusion chased across his face just for an instant before he frowned doubtfully. He shifted uncomfortably, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

"_He's going to say no_" she thought, despairingly, knowing that there was no way she could try and convince him otherwise, not in the middle of the CID room in front of his team.

"Um.. well, that's very good of you, Dave..." the unspoken "_but_" hung in the air and he paused awkwardly. Gene glanced towards him briefly, then back down at the ground, still unable to put his thoughts into words.

Bartlett stared at his strangely tongue-tied Governor, clearly wishing he'd picked a quieter moment to ask such a question.

"What've you called him, Dave" asked Shaz, who'd been showing the photo to Chris and so had completely missed what had just been said.

Bartlett looked briefly away from Gene, turning his attention to Shaz. "Stuart," he replied.

Alex saw Gene's head jerk up in sudden shock, his mouth twisting into a grimace as he fought to hide his emotions. He caught her anxious gaze and she gave him a small, but encouraging smile. She saw him curl his fingers into fists, and draw a deep breath, forcing himself to relax as Dave turned back to him for an answer.

Gene cleared his throat and nodded once, curtly. "Yes" he said gruffly. "Tell your Missus, I'll be Godfather." He took a step towards his desk, then turned back to Dave. "So long as you don't actually expect me to be all holy and God-fearing." He sniffed dismissively. "I'll be there for the christening, but after that, he'll be on his own as far as religion's concerned. He'll learn about the importance of this life from me, not any of that nonsense that may or may not follow after it."

Alex smiled as she watched Gene struggling to regain his equilibrium, taking refuge in his usual acid-tongued comments.

Dave Bartlett grinned. "Cheers, Guv. Susan'll be really pleased. She was absolutely convinced you'd say no." He smiled at Alex. "His second name's Alexander. Hope you don't mind, Boss. Sue wanted it to remind her of you helping us out."

Alex shook her head. "Of course I don't mind. I'm honoured Dave. Really I am. When's the christening?"

"Not for a few weeks yet. When he's ready to come out of hospital, I'll let you all know."

"Bolly! Stop wittering about babies and get upstairs to the Super's office! You're going to be late!" Gene bellowed grumpily, safely back behind his desk by now, away from the risk of any more emotional ambushes

Alex leaned round DS Bartlett to smile sweetly at Gene. "Yes, Guv" she replied.

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She'd been hoping to see Gene before he'd left with Tom but her meeting had gone on far longer than planned and there had been no chance for her to go back down to CID. As they broke for a quick cup of coffee, Janet came in with a message for her.

"A young lady called Tracy Cooke rang and asked for you. Front desk put her through to me as they knew you were up here. She said she wouldn't talk on the phone, but she'll meet you tomorrow, ten o'clock, at the "Prospect of Whitby" on Wapping Wall. You're to park your car outside and she'll find you once she's decided it's safe."

Alex frowned. Tracy Cooke was a good friend of Lisa Hawkins. She'd been interviewed already and had been unhelpful, evasive, even when questioned about Lisa's last known movements. She pocketed the piece of paper Janet had given her.

"Thanks, Janet." She collected her coffee cup and went back into her meeting, her mind whirling. It would seem that Tracy did know something more after all. The Superintendent smiled at her as she took her seat and Alex fought the urge to adjust the scarf she was wearing around her neck. The marks of Gene's teeth had still been visible on her flesh when she'd got dressed that morning, much his amusement. She squeezed her hands together to stop herself from fiddling with her scarf and tried to concentrate on what the Super was saying.

"Incidentally, I meant to say, well done. You must be very proud of him, Alex. Not many officers got through the selection process, and made such an impression on the panel. It's an incredible opportunity for him. I know he'll find it hard going at first, but he'll soon win the department over."

Alex frowned at him in confusion. "I'm sorry Sir, proud of whom?"

The Super looked nonplussed. " DCI Hunt, of course. In my opinion, it's entirely down to you and the changes you've wrought in him." He narrowed his eyes at her puzzled expression. "He hasn't told you, has he?"

She shook her head and watched in astonishment as the Super laughed. "Typical Gene! Still fighting against it every step of the way. Well, I won't say anything more then. I'll leave it up to him to tell you."


	45. Chapter 45

**Just to let you know, myself and the ladies in the Naughty Corner at TRA have decided that Tom Fletcher looks like Mr Davenport - the guy who played Miles in "This Life" and is also in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. Just thought I'd let you know so you can picture him more clearly, as he is rather gorgeous in this chapter. ;-)**

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Alex spent the evening half-heartedly watching the telly and listening out for the distinctive sound of the Quattro's engine. She'd been surprised that Gene hadn't been at home when she'd arrived back from work. _Surely he wasn't still in Surrey? _She rang Tom's house in the vague hope that he might be home but there was no answer there either.

At sometime after eleven-thirty she decided that it really was time to go to bed, despite there being no sign of Gene. As she switched off the TV, the doorbell rang and she hurried into the hall, praying that it would be him. When she opened the front door, she felt her heart leap in panic at the sight of an unfamiliar uniformed PC standing there.

"Are you DI Drake?" he asked, cautiously.

"Yes, I am. Is everything OK?" Alex dimly registered that he wasn't wearing a Met uniform and that he looked about fifteen. She watched him sag with visible relief at her reply.

"Oh thank god for that, Ma'am. I would have delivered them home hours ago but they kept making me take them to more and more pubs. They're senior officers, so I couldn't really say no." He held out his hand in introduction. "I'm PC Willloughby, Ma'am. I drove them back from Dorking. Neither of them were in any fit state to drive themselves"

Alex looked out of the door and saw the Quattro parked a little way down the street. On the pavement beside it, Tom Fletcher was sprawled in an untidy heap and Gene was leaning against his precious car, crying with laughter at Tom's attempts to get to his feet. Alex sighed, delighted that they were both safe, but not relishing the prospect of the pair of them drunk and disorderly in her care.

Gene looked up and caught sight of her. "Bolly!" he roared. "Come an' give us a hand, gorgeous girl! Fletch can't seem to get up!"

"Tha's my line, Gene…..I call her gorgeous girl. You wanna watch yourself… spent the day with me an' now you're talkin' all poncey." Tom abandoned his attempt to stand up and lay there, giggling.

With the help of PC Willoughby, Alex got them both inside the house without any further mishap. She steered them both into the sitting room and went to see the young PC out.

"Thank you so much, Willoughby." She looked at her watch. "How are you going to get home now?"

"Train, Ma'am. There's still a couple running this time of night." He flicked a glance at Tom and Gene. "I hope they're not too much trouble. They've had rather a lot to drink I'm afraid."

Alex smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm used to it. You've done very well to put up with them in that condition all evening. I hope DCI Hunt wasn't too rude to you."

Willoughby looked worried. "Well, he was a bit, but DCI Fletcher told me not to take it personally. He said he was like it with everyone. To be quite honest with you, Ma'am, it was DCI Hunt that kept suggesting another drink. I think he led DCI Fletcher astray, really. He kept saying he needed to drink it all out of his system."

Alex bit back a smile. "That doesn't surprise me in the least. It's his solution to most of life's problems."

She'd wished him a safe journey home, and returned to the sitting room to find them both sprawled on the sofa where she'd left them. They looked up at her unsteadily with near-identical naughty-boy grins on their faces.

"I think Bolly's a bit cross wi' you, Fletch" Gene nudged Tom with his elbow. "Look, she's gone all stern."

"' S not me she's cross with, 's you. I'm a ver' well-behaved young man. 'S you tha' got me this drunk."

"I din't! You were the one tha' suggested we go to tha' bar......wi' all those funny coloured shots 'n stuff."Gene thumped the arm of the sofa indignantly. "'S all your bloody fault I'm in this state."

"Yes, but you were the one tha' said we had to try them all." Tom hiccuped loudly, before leaning over and tapping his finger on Gene's chest. "Ha! See! 'S your fault!"

Alex sighed. They'd go on like this all night if she didn't put a stop to it now. "Coffee." she told them both, brightly but firmly.

"Sod coffee, Bolly. We wanna proper drink. Where's my whisky?" Gene peered at her blearily, his hair flopping over his forehead.

She shook her head. "No way. Coffee or nothing. You've both had more than enough to drink."

Gene snorted. "See! See Fletch! Tha's what I was telling you 'bout. You move in wi' a bird, an' all they do is nag at you. Don' do this, don' do that. You're lucky, you are, being a poof. You don' get any of that nonsense wi' another bloke."

Tom laughed. "'S one way of lookin' at it, I suppose. You thinking of goin' on the turn then, Gene?"

"Am I bollocks!" spluttered Gene. "If I pass out Bolly, don' you dare leave me down here alone wi' him." He grinned lopsidedly at Tom and clapped him heavily on the shoulder. "'m only jokin', Fletch. You know tha', don' you?"

Tom nodded unsteadily, and patted Gene's hand absently. Alex stifled the urge to giggle at them both.

"I would love a cup of coffee, Lexi," Tom told her, enunciating each of his words carefully, "an' so would he. He's just being a bolshie git."

When she returned with two mugs of strong coffee , she paused to listen outside the door as Gene began speaking again. He was evidently in the middle of something important and she didn't want to interrupt; not when he and Tom were clearly getting on so well.

"'S true though. Live wi' a woman an' yer life's not yer own any more. She even makes me go to the bloody supermarket wi' her! I mus' be losing my touch, 'cos tha' never happened wi' my ex-wife. She knew 'xactly where her place was. None of this feminist bollocks they all spout these days."

She heard Tom laugh. "You don' mean that! You go shopping 'cos you love her, not 'cos she makes you. An' Lexi doesn't know her place 'cos she doesn' have one, 'cept right nex' to you. She's your equal Gene, an' you know it. You moan and complain, but underneath, you don' really mind. You're an' old fraud, DCI Hunt."

Alex held her breath, only letting out when she heard Gene chuckle. "I know. She's irritating, irrational and arsey, but I don' wan' her any other way. I love her, Fletch. Never fel' like this 'bout anyone."

"_Jesus, he must be really drunk if he's telling Tom how he feels about me,_" she thought.

"What 'bout your first wife? You mus' have loved her once?"

Alex suffered a fleeting twinge of guilt that she was blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation, but she figured they'd be too drunk to remember it anyway and she was desperately curious to hear what Gene had to say about his ex-wife.

"Thought I did. Was never like this, though. Wasn't Lillian's fault, wha' happened. Both too young. We din't know how to talk to each other 'bout stuff. Everything was OK 'til she wanted kids. Somehow it all became my bloody fault she couldn't have a baby."

"An' was it?" asked Tom, the drink making him brutally honest.

"Course it bloody wasn't!" roared Gene indignantly, making Alex jump and slop coffee on the floor. "Was no one's fault! It jus' didn't happen!" There was silence and Alex heard the clink of his lighter, before he continued, his voice low and full of self-loathing.

"It was my fault 'bout the drinking and the other women, though. There was far too much of tha'. Being married jus' makes you more attractive to some birds. They fell over themselves to shag the Gene Genie." She heard him sigh deeply. "For a few years I was a bastard to her, Fletch. I din't care. She didn't wan' me, so I made sure she knew plenty of other women did."

"What made you stop?.......Bein' a bastard, I mean."

"I did something.... something tha' made me feel......like a worthless piece of scum. Every time I looked at Lilly, thas' all I thought 'bout, so I tried to be a good husband. Give her the respec' she deserved. Sometimes I messed about a bit, now an' then, when I couldn't help it. Din' make any difference though, me tryin' to be a good boy. We'd already lost each other.

Alex moved through the door slightly so that she could see him, the hurt in his voice making her heart ache. He was leaning forward, his forearms resting on his knees, his hands dangling down between them. Neither Gene not Tom noticed her standing there.

"Why din't you get divorced sooner?" queried Tom. "S'no point stayin' with someone if you don' love them."

"Well, her bein' Catholic din' help. The words '_Forgive me Father, 'm gettin' a divorce_', don' exactly score many brownie points wi' The Man upstairs, apparently."

Gene sighed heavily, shaking his head. 'Wasn' that simple back then, anyway. You got married, an' you stayed married, no matter what. Everyone stuck by a woman if her husband was a bastard, plenty of tea and sympathy, but if she left him, or threw him out, tha' was another matter. She'd have broken the rules. Made it all public, an' you din't do that."

He flopped back against the cushions again, taking a long drag on his cigarette and pausing to blow the smoke out through his nose before he began again.

"You couldn't be a divorced woman, livin' on your own. Tha' made all the others nervous. You might have taken their husbands from them, see, so Lillian stayed wi' me, put up wi' it, lived separate lives. She played by the rules for years, 'til she met someone else, an' that was that. I was out on my bloody ear."

"So you gonna get married to Lexi an' live happily ever after, now you've found her?" asked Tom, reaching over and taking the cigarette from Gene. "She's gonna bloody kill you for smoking in here," he remarked as he took a drag and blew smoke rings into the air.

"Show-off!" snorted Gene. "Is tha' how you pull? 'Cos if it is...... I have to tell you, 's bloody poncey......anyway, Alex is not goin' to kill me. 's my sitting room, I can do what I like in here. She made it for me." He paused to peer blearily at Tom. "Best open the window a bit, though. Let the smoke out."

"Okey Dokey." Tom levered himself to his feet, grabbing onto Gene's thigh in the process.

"Oi! Watch where you're putting you hands, DCI Fletcher!"

Tom turned and grinned wickedly at Gene. "Now, tha's how I pull, DCI Hunt. Everyone says I've got lovely hands."

"Tha's what Bolly says 'bout mine....._You've got lovely hands, Gene_. _Lovely long fingers_" He laughed "Mind you, I'm normally doing something fairly filthy to her wi' them at the time."

Tom pretended to block his ears, and nearly fell into the fireplace in the process. "Not listening! I don't wanna know 'bout stuff like tha'. I wanna know if I should buy a new hat for the wedding." He gave up trying to open the French windows and sank down into the nearest chair instead.

Gene shrugged. "Don' know. She doesn' wanna get married. Feels weird to me though, livin' wi' a bird an' not bein' married. Still, 'm on the straight an' narrow, now. Not messing this one up. No-one else……jus' Alex…….my beautiful Alex."

He looked up and saw her standing in the doorway and his face transformed at the sight of her. "Alex! We were jus' talkin' 'bout you! Come here!" He patted the sofa cushions beside him, grinning at her in delight.

She laughed, shaking her head. "I think Tom needs to go to bed, and so do you, Gene. Come on, upstairs, both of you."

Gene grinned wickedly and raised his eyebrows at Tom. "Lexi wants both of us upstairs, Fletch. Now there's a once in a life time offer." He fixed Alex with a stern look and wagged his index finger at her admonishingly. "He's not gonna take you up on it, Bolly. You're not his type."

Alex traded a look with Tom and began to laugh. "Let's not even start on that particular topic of conversation. Just drink your coffee and come to bloody bed, Gene, I'm so tired I can hardly stand up."

"You definitely won' be able to when I've finished wi' you," he growled, eyeing her lecherously, his eyes hooded with exhaustion.

Tom heaved himself up, swaying unsteadily. "An' that, I believe, is my cue to make myself scarce."

Alex caught his arm. "The spare bed's made up for you, Tom. You're welcome to stay."

He shook his head. "Thanks Lexi, but, you an' Gene… you know.. I'll jus' be in the way."

Alex inclined her head back towards the sofa. "I don't really think you will. He's not going anywhere."

Gene was slumped sideways on the cushions, asleep and already snoring gently. Alex pulled the throw over him and turned the table lamp off.

"We'll leave him there to sleep it off I think, don't you? I'll see you in the morning, Tom."

"Night, Lexi".

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Alex woke in the early hours as Gene climbed into bed beside her, wrapping an arm and a leg over her and cuddling into her back. "I'm freezing, Alex. You left me on the bloody sofa," he mumbled into her neck, trailing sloppy kisses over her shoulder, before promptly falling asleep again.

When the alarm went off, she left him sleeping and went to make tea for them all. Tom was already awake and eating cereal in the kitchen, looking surprisingly chirpy considering the state he'd been in the night before.

"So how did it go?" asked Alex, taking Gene's replacement red mug out of the cupboard. She'd managed to find an exact match at a stall on Chapel Street Market. Tom raised an eyebrow as he watched her spooning sugar liberally into it.

"He won't have a hangover, as such, but he does need sugar to stop him being grumpy." she explained. "Would you believe he's cut down on the amount he used to have."

Tom laughed. "You have got to be joking. Any more and his tea'd be like syrup!"

Alex grinned. "It was. Honestly Tom, he's cut down on lots of things. Drink, fags. He's lost nearly two stone – don't tell me you haven't noticed."

Tom feigned nonchalance. "Not really, although I do have to admit, he's looking particularly gorgeous at the moment. Especially yesterday in that black suit of his. Was that your doing?"

Alex nodded. "Of course. I found a tailor in the East End who used to work on Saville Row. Beautiful suits at a fraction of the price. I do like a well-fitting suit on a man. It shows them off to their very best advantage." She dropped two teabags into the teapot and poured boiling water over them. "Anyway, enough of that. How was the funeral? I hope Gene was nice to you"

"It was OK, all things considered and, yes, he was very nice to me, in his own inimitable way. He had a few words with me when I told him that I didn't think I could face them all at the church, but to be fair, I was being a bit of a drama queen."

"What kind of words?" asked Alex in trepidation.

"Well…. "_Get out my bloody car and show them that you're still in possession of a pair of bollocks, you pathetic, nancy-arsed excuse of a poof_" springs to mind, although I have to admit that my particular favourite was, "_So what if you take it up the arse. Doesn't mean your old man should treat you like a piece of shit on his shoe._"

Tom grinned at Alex's horrified face. "I know!" he joked, deliberately misunderstanding why she was so shocked. "And from a man like Gene as well. It's rather sweet, isn't it, although I think that last one must have been uttered after we'd had a drink or three, because my father was standing about two feet from us at the time."

Alex closed her eyes in disbelief. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Tom didn't seem too upset by it all though.

"Oh my God. I'm so, so sorry, Tom."

"Don't be! I'm not. It was worth it just to see the expression on Dad's face when Gene introduced himself to him, about two seconds later."

"So what did your father do? He's a retired Superintendent, isn't he?"

"Yes he is, and he's also screamingly middle-class, so naturally he ignored it all and made polite and meaningless conversation with us both for ten minutes or so until he found an excuse to escape. My Mother, however, thought that Gene was utterly charming and invited us back to tea, at which point my Dad nearly collapsed with apoplexy at the very thought."

"And did you go for tea?" asked Alex faintly.

"Of course we did" grinned Tom. "We ate sponge cake and drank tea for a bit, and then we got stuck into the contents of the drinks cabinet. He'd made some excuse about staying at to help tidy up so it was just the three of us. Mum got tipsy on sherry, helped along by Gene's outrageous flattery, of course and when Dad got back from the Holt's, we were all well away. He put up with it for a bit before calling in a favour from the local station, and low and behold, PC Willoughby quickly arrived to drive us home."

"Via a great many pubs and bars."

"Yes. A great many." Tom finished his cereal and put the bowl in the sink. "I must go, Lexi. I need to change before I go into work. Thank Gene for me, won't you? He really is an angel underneath all that vitriol. You know he very nearly apologised to me for all that stuff he said in his office. Didn't actually use the word "_sorry_" of course, but he did a damn good job of implying it."

"Really? That's pretty good going for him. I'm glad. You mean a great deal to him Tom. You remind of someone he used to know."

"Sam?" Tom's eyes were sad.

Alex nodded. "He told you about him, then."

"Oh yes. He told me all about Sam. How I'm just as ridiculously annoying as he was, apparently. I'm full of "_gay-boy science_" too, except that, and I quote, "_you actually are a bender, Fletch, but Sam just behaved like some sodding limp-wristed pansy._"

Alex winced. "Just try and see it as his way of letting you know he cares."

"Better than punching me, I suppose. I thought boys grew out of this stuff once we'd left the playground behind, but apparently not." He kissed her on the cheek as he gathered up his coat. "See you, Lexi."

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Gene let out a deep sigh and swigged from his Lucozade bottle. "Christ, I feel like shit this morning," he growled.

"You look like shit." replied Alex tersely, but her smile belied her words.

"Cheers, Bolly. Kick a bloke while he's down why don't you," he huffed, leaning his head back in his seat and closing his eyes.

After a while he opened one eye. "You sure she said wait outside the pub and not actually in it? Only I could do with a drink. Hair of the dog and all that."

"She said outside, Gene. If you weren't up for this, I could have brought Ray with me instead."

"Bad idea, Alex. Ray had curry for dinner last night. Take it from me, you wouldn't want to be sat in a car with him this morning."

Alex ignored him, leaning forward in her seat. "That's her! Over the other side of the road."

They watched as a skinny young girl of about seventeen made her way cautiously along the pavement, glancing round nervously. She paused for a minute in a doorway opposite the Quattro, watching the empty street anxiously.

"What's she waiting for? Silly tart. Why doesn't she just get in the bloody car."

Alex rolled her eyes. Gene really was incredibly grumpy that morning despite three mugs of super-sweetened tea. She watched as Tracy Cooke took another nervous look up and down the street before starting to cross the road.

She really didn't have time to take in what happened next. A car rounded the corner, accelerating hard, aiming straight at Tracy. Alex watched as the girl froze in the middle of the road, panic-stricken.

"Run!" screamed Alex.

"Get out of the bloody way!" roared Gene. Before either of them could move, the car hit her, head on. Alex watched in horror as her body crashed across the car bonnet and over the roof, before hitting the tarmac behind with a sickening thud.

Alex was out of the car in seconds, racing across to where Tracy lay, her body twisted at an unnatural angle. She could hear Gene shouting into the radio for an ambulance, giving control the licence number of the car. She blocked it all out, trying to concentrate only on the wreck of a human being that lay in the road.

Alex knew as soon as she looked at Tracy that it was hopeless. The ambulance wouldn't reach her in time. Blood trickled steadily from the back of her skull. Alex grabbed her hand and squeezed, desperately hoping that she would feel the contact and realise that she wasn't dying alone.

"Tracy? Can you hear me? It's DI Drake. It's OK. The ambulance is on it's way." She felt Gene's hand on her shoulder and looked up at him. His eyes asked a question and she shook her head briefly. She saw him close his eyes in painful resignation, moving away from them both. Things like this never got any easier no matter how long you'd been a copper.

When she looked back at Tracy, she was shocked to see that her eyes were open, and she held Alex's hand in a vice-like grip. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. She shook from head to foot.

"Cold" she managed to whisper, swallowing awkwardly.

Alex heard Gene return, and he crouched down beside her, tucking the blanket that he kept in the boot of his car gently round the shivering girl. "There you go, love. You rest easy now. You'll be safe soon." His hand gripped Alex's shoulder, lending her his strength as she comforted the dying girl.

Tracy closed her eyes, the breath rushing from her in ragged gasps. Her fingers tightened on Alex's again and her eyes snapped open. "Police" she croaked.

Alex nodded. "That's right Tracy. We're police officers. Don't talk now. Save your strength."

Tracy shook her head painfully. "Policeman" she insisted, clenching her teeth, her whole body going into spasms. Her eyes closed, rolling up into her head. She coughed once, and bright red blood ran from the corner of her mouth. Alex felt her grip slacken and her agonised breathing ceased abruptly.

Alex let go of her hand, tucking it back under the blanket as she pulled a fold of it up over the dead girl's face. She sat next to the body as she listened to the ambulance sirens get louder and louder. She could hear Gene talking to the small crowd that had gathered at the side of the road, keeping them back on the pavement. Only when the ambulance men unloaded the stretcher, did she get slowly to her feet and walk back towards the car, ducking under the tape that was being stretched across the road by the newly arrived uniformed officers.

Gene was busy directing operations but as she walked past him, he reached out and touched her arm briefly. She gave him a grateful smile before grabbing her notebook and starting to take witness statements.

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"So we've got nothing! Sweet FA!" Gene slammed down the file containing the forensic report on the van that had contained Lisa's body. He slumped back into his chair angrily. "They are one bastard step ahead of us, every single time!"

Alex knew that he'd been hoping for some sort of lead from forensics as they had nothing else to go on. She searched through her desk drawer for a packet biscuits that she knew had been in there on Sunday morning. She closed the bottom drawer and pulled out the middle one thinking that maybe she'd put them in there by mistake. A white A4 envelope met her eyes. "_Alex_" was scrawled across it in the now familiar black marker pen. Alex felt a flutter of apprehension grip her stomach. How the hell did these letters get into CID without anyone noticing them?

Gene rested his head in his hands with a resigned sigh. "If you're looking for those chocolate digestives, Bolly, we ate half of them yesterday while you were poncing around wi' the Super and the Scotland Yard boys. The rest of the packet's in my office. Make me some tea and I might share them wi' you."

"Bad news, Guv?" Ray was back from a tour of the local area, noting which dealers were out and which particular areas they were working. It would seem that in the last few weeks they'd all been given an ultimatum;buy from one particular supplier or end up very dead. So far, three had chosen the latter option and all the others were consequently toeing the line.

Alex nodded. "I'm afraid so Ray. The van's clean. Forensics reckon that they taped plastic sheets up and took them with them when they dumped it. There's no trace of fibres, no fingerprints, nothing. The whole cab's been wiped clean, the number plates were fake, the chassis number was filed off. All we really know for certain is that it was stolen. There's nothing on Lisa's body either. No fibres because her nails were too short, nothing distinctive about the way they tied the ligature round her neck."

"They knew exactly what we'd be looking for," fumed Gene. "They seem to know every damn move we make! How the hell did they know that Tracy Cooke was meeting us this morning? No-one we've talked to knows anything about it. The letters have no post marks on them so we can't trace where they were sent from, no-one saw them being delivered to the station either. They're beating us at our own bloody game! "

Alex laid the envelope on his desk with a grim smile. "I've just found this in my desk. It definitely wasn't there yesterday."

Gene slit it open and took out a single piece of paper and a photograph. He read it quickly, his face clouding with rage. The photo was a grainy black and white shot of Tracy's lifeless body being lifted onto a stretcher. The note with it was chillingly simple.

_"Sorted. Watch yourself Alex, or you'll be next."_

Alex read the words but didn't take in their significance as a thought niggled at her. Something in the wording resonated with her, but just as she reached tenuously for the memory, Chris bounded in, all smiles and eagerness like a puppy let off the lead.

"Ready, Boss?"

He beamed at her and Alex snapped back to the present as she remembered that she'd agreed to help him choose Shaz's engagement ring that afternoon. Gene was staring at her, his face impassive, but she could see the fear in his eyes.

"I'll be fine." she told him, leaning in close to him and stroking his cheek gently, not caring who else saw. "I'll see you later."


	46. Chapter 46

**I owe a huge debt of thanks to Wombledon for her invaluable help and advice with certain parts of this chapter. I hate writing about things that I don't have any experience of, and I really couldn't have done it without her. :-)**

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"Bye, Bolly. I'll see you later" Gene gave Alex a hurried kiss as he swept up his coat and keys, taking the kitchen stairs two at time in his haste to get to work.

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Alex. Here's a card to show how much I care, Alex…… in my bloody dreams. This is Gene Hunt; not some soft, romantic sissy." _Alex dumped her breakfast things in the dishwasher and grinned as she remembered Gene's very vocal opinions on Valentine's Day, and any other occasion designed to separate gullible idiots from their hard-earned cash.

Recalling the large amount of hard-earned cash that Chris had parted with last week, in Mr Pargetter's shop, she wondered what Gene would have to say about his DC getting engaged. A great deal, she decided, and none of complementary. Was it even a good idea to go to Luigi's this evening? No doubt, Luigi would have the whole restaurant decked out in Valentine's Day décor and of course, Luigi himself needed no encouragement to voice his opinions on the subject of romance. Alex hoped that Chris plucked up the courage to propose early in the evening, before Gene and Ray got too drunk.

It was a beautiful engagement ring, though; a deep blue sapphire flanked by two diamonds. Chris had been erring towards a copy of Princess Diana's engagement ring, but Alex had steered him away from that particular design. She hadn't known why, it just hadn't felt very "happy" when she looked at it. Frustratingly, like all her memories of the future since the clown had appeared to her at Christmas, her recollection of the Royal marriage was foggy, but she was fairly certain that "happily ever after" wasn't on the agenda.

"Best to go for something original, Chris. After all, you don't want to be reminded of someone else's marriage every time you look at it, do you?"

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Pulling the front door shut behind her, Alex set off for Angel tube station. She was at Scotland Yard today, as she had been for most of last week; more meetings, more proposed changes. She was helping to set out the new training programmes that the Met needed to implement in order to move forward; new interview techniques, new ways of dealing with victims, new ways of treating fellow officers. All of these needed addressing from a psychological point of view as well as practical one, and last Friday, she'd been offered a permanent role within the department.

The Chief Super had made it clear that when the training programmes were written and in place, she'd have the choice to return to a CID team, but it was a year's secondment and Alex was in two minds about the whole thing. A part of her knew that she should take the position they'd offered her. It was just what she needed; a new job, with her own team, safely behind a desk so that Gene wouldn't have palpitations every time he thought about what she was doing. However, the other part of her still wanted to be out there, making arrests, catching the bad guys

She knew that she needed to talk it over with Gene, but until she found out what was going on with his career, she didn't want to make any far-reaching decisions. He hadn't uttered a word complaint about her being away from CID and she knew this was because of the warning letter. In his mind, if she wasn't at Fenchurch East, then whoever had sent it would leave her alone.

His main cause of unhappiness was that she was spending time with "the Scotland Yard boys." He hadn't said anything directly, but he'd asked a great many leading questions about the project and the officers involved. Alex had indulged him, knowing that he was incredibly insecure about her working with men who were both younger than him, and far more her type. She'd tried to reassure him that none of them thought of her like that, and anyway, everyone knew she was living with him, but he'd just snorted with derision at her apparent naivety.

"Listen, Bolly. I used to think like they do, once upon a time, when I was younger and thought I was God's bloody gift. Makes no difference who you're with; they'll still try it on. I've heard some of the comments they used to come out with where you're concerned, before they all realised I'd kick the arse off them if they spoke that way about you. I happen to know that half the sodding officers in the Met would love to get up close and personal wi' you. It's not just me that finds that scrawny rump of yours incredibly sexy."

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The Chief Super's secretary interrupted Alex's last meeting of the morning, with a message for her.

"Sorry to interrupt, Ma'am. There's a delivery for you and the instructions are quite clear that you have to be given them straight away." She waited until Alex had nodded her permission, before re-appearing with two dozen roses of the deepest red Alex had ever seen, tied up with silver ribbons. She took the card from the envelope, trying to contain both her grin and her blushes.

"_It would seem I'm that sort of bloke after all._

_You have my heart already. _

_Here's the flowers._

_Love, always_

_G x"_

So he hadn't forgotten. It would also appear that DCI Gene Hunt, for this one day only, had joined the ranks of gullible idiots. Alex smiled to herself as she realised the significance of Gene sending them to her at work; the message it sent was abundantly clear to any other man who may be interested in her. "S_od off, mate, she's mine"_.

When her meetings finished, late that afternoon, Alex took a taxi back to Islington, refusing to negotiate the tube during the rush hour, whilst clutching a large bouquet of flowers. She went home first, intending to change before joining the others at Luigi's. To her surprise, she found Tom sitting despondently on the doorstep.

"Tom? You looking for me, or Gene?"

"Both. I need to talk to you about something. I don't know what to do."

"Well, I'm meeting Gene at Luigi's. Come with me, or don't you feel like going out tonight?"

Tom shrugged. "Haven't got much choice, Lexi. The house is still a mess. I've no heating, electricity or hot water so it's not exactly "home, sweet home" at the moment."

Alex felt a stab of guilt. Shed been so caught up in her own life, that she'd forgotten that Tom was technically homeless.

"Right. Come in while I change, and you can decide what you want to do. Make yourself useful and put these in some water," she told him, handing over the roses. "Help yourself to a drink. You look like you could do with one."

Upstairs in her bedroom, Alex hung up her dark grey suit and slipped on her jeans and a soft, red V-necked jumper. She released her hair from the clip that held it in a knot at the back of her head, letting it fall round her face in soft curls. A quick slick of lipstick and some perfume, and she was ready. When she got downstairs, Tom was watching television in the kitchen, a bottle of red wine open on the table beside him.

"Hope you don't mind me drinking your wine" he smiled. "I'm not in the mood for Gene's whisky, and a cuppa just doesn't quite hit the spot."

He looked exhausted with dark shadows under his eyes. Alex felt a pang of sadness for him. It was Valentine's Day and Tom had no one to celebrate it with. No one to tell him they loved him. She reached in the dresser draw and took out a set of spare keys.

"Here." She told him. "Put these in your pocket. You'll need them to get back in."

He frowned at her in puzzlement.

"You can stay here, with us, until you sort the house out." She watched him start to protest. "No, Gene won't mind, and even if he did, tough. Now, I really have to go, although I'm getting the impression that you'd really rather just stay here on your own with the wine."

Tom nodded wearily. "I would, really. Is that OK? You don't need me hanging around like a gooseberry, tonight of all nights. I'll talk to you and Gene another time" He smiled at her. "Thanks, Lexi. It shouldn't take too long to get the house sorted. Luke Ellis is doing a fantastic job of the repairs."

"Really? Peter's brother?" Alex feigned ignorance. "What's he like?"

"Not you type," he told her with a wry grin

Alex laughed. "Your type, then? Blond?"

"Yes, that's it. Blond." He gave a tired smile. "Off you go, gorgeous girl. You'll be late meeting Gene."

"Damn! Right, you can tell me more when I get home. Have a good evening."

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Luigi's was packed, and Alex had to fight her way past half the station staff to reach their usual table. There was something about Mondays that made everyone crave alcohol. She slung her jacket over the back of a chair and went to join Gene. He was leaning against the bar, his eyes narrowed lazily as he watched her approach. His hand snaked out and wrapped itself around her waist as she reached him, pulling her tight to his chest. He looked down his nose at her with his beautiful silver/blue eyes, his lips pushed forward into a questioning pout.

"Well?" he growled.

"Well, what?" she teased.

"You know bloody well _what_!" His eyes narrowed further and his pout deepened, but she knew he wasn't really angry with her. "Did you get them?"

"Oh, the flowers. Were they from you then?"

"Alex!"

"Yes, I got them. They're beautiful. Thank you."

"You bloody tease!" He slapped her lightly on the bottom and she laughed, wriggling against him.

"Don't do that, Bolly" he growled in her ear. "It's having an effect on certain bits of me and it's a long walk to the Gents from here."

She turned her head towards him, her mouth brushing his briefly, in an instant, Gene was kissing her, one hand reaching up to cup her face with his fingers, his tongue tracing the line of her lips, pushing softly into her mouth. His kiss was loving and surprisingly gentle; full of passion, yet tender at the same time, and Alex shuddered with the force of her reaction to him, sliding her arms round his neck, grateful for his hand in the small of her back that kept her body pressed against his. He pulled away slowly, holding her gaze, his eyes dark with emotion. "Happy Valentines Day, Alex," he murmured.

Alex smiled back at him, taking his face in her hands and dropping small, soft kisses onto his mouth. She became aware of someone watching her, and glanced across the bar to see Luigi gazing at them with a delighted smile on his face. A good few of the Station staff were staring as well; it wasn't often that they saw two of their senior officers engaging in a very public display of affection. Alex giggled, hiding her face in Gene's jacket, feeling his laughter rumbling in his chest.

"Bolly?" he whispered. "Get your head out from under my arm. You'll want to see this bit."

He moved sideways so that she could get a good view, his arm still wrapped possessively round her waist. Chris was hovering nervously by his table, waiting for Shaz to come back from the bar, his hand clutching at something in his jacket pocket.

Alex watched in anticipation as Shaz, unaware of what was about to happen, walked carefully back across the room, concentrating on nothing else but the drinks she was carrying. When she'd put them safely on the table, she sat down, looking up at Chris in confusion as he continued to stand by her chair. The confusion quickly turned to disbelief as he dropped to one knee by her side. The conversation in the room ceased abruptly as people noticed what was happening.

He took her hand and although she was too far away to hear what he said, Alex saw Chris pull the ring box from his pocket and hand it to Shaz, who sat utterly still, staring at him in open-mouthed astonishment. She opened the box slowly, with trembling hands and Alex saw her nod and fling her arms round Chris's neck. A huge cheer broke out, and as everyone hurried to congratulate them, Gene lent forward over the bar and spoke acerbically to the little Italian, who was standing behind it, dabbing at his eyes with a bar cloth.

"When you've quite finished crying like a girl, Luigi, I'd like to order a drink, please."

"You have no heart for romance, Mr Hunt. None at all." Luigi shook his head sadly. "Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Oh, it's not for me, Luigi. I thought the happy couple might like a bottle of champagne, but if you say I've no idea about romance then maybe I should get you to send over two pints and packet of pork scratchings instead." Gene grinned at him, pleased to have caught him out for once.

"You tease me, Mr Hunt." Lugi wagged a finger at Gene. "For that, I make you buy my most expensive bottle."

"What! You are joking? Those two wouldn't know the difference between Champagne and Asti Spumante!"

"Then, I open another bottle for them. The expensive one can be for you and Senorigna Drake. A woman as lovely as her should be drinking the best champagne on a night like tonight!"

Alex giggled again as Gene bridled at the suggestion. "Bloody Hell, Luigi! No wonder you can afford to close this place for three weeks holiday every year! You must be raking it in wi' lines like that. You sure you don't sell second-hand cars as a side line."

Luigi just shrugged and laughed, catching Alex's eye."I just speak the truth, Mr Hunt. Alex is beautiful…. you love her… she loves you…you should drink champagne to celebrate your love."

"Yes, well, thank you, but I can think of much better ways of celebrating our love than you bankrupting me. Just send a bottle over to Chris and Shaz, and then go and try your nonsense on some other impressionable twat!"

Alex fixed him with a stern look as he turned back to her and he had the grace to look slightly shamefaced.

"Sorry, Alex. Did you actually want some champagne?"

She said nothing, letting him squirm under the intensity of her disapproving stare. She had to bite the inside of her cheeks not to laugh, but she wasn't going to let Gene know that.

"I'll get you some if you like," he offered. "I'm sure Luigi's got a bottle of Bolly stashed behind the bar somewhere."

Alex shook her head, letting him see her smile. "No, no. You save your money, Gene. To tell you the truth, I prefer Veuve Clicquot, anyway." She leaned forward, kissing him gently, her tongue flickering teasingly against his. She heard him growl, deep in his chest, and his hands slid round the cheeks of her arse. She twisted away from him, laughing.

"You can stay here, with your pint of beer and be grumpy, but I'm going to congratulate Chris and Shaz."

Alex made her way across the room to their table and Shaz, seeing her approach, made room for her to sit down.

"Thank you ever so much Ma'am, for helping Chris choose this. I love it! It's beautiful!" She held out her left hand for Alex to see and as she did so, the rest of the secretaries returned in a giggly rush.

"Look Shaz! Champagne! Someone's bought you champagne! You lucky girl!"

Shaz turned to Alex questioningly and Alex shook her head, instead nodding over at Gene. Shaz smiled her shy smile in his direction and lifted up her glass in a gesture of thanks.

Alex saw Gene nod in reply before he turned away to talk to Ray. From the set of their shoulders, and their cynical expressions, they were more than likely discussing the folly of asking a bird to marry you. Alex let herself be drawn into the conversation, as the girls pulled up more chairs and began to talk "weddings". Shortly afterwards, Chris beat a hasty retreat to join the lads at their table, scared away by the discussions of dresses and what colour the bridesmaids should wear.

A long while later she was aware of Luigi setting a glass down by her elbow. It wasn't her usual wine glass, but a champagne flute instead.

"For you Alex, because you are so beautiful; the most beautiful woman in the room," he murmured, a shy smile on his face.

Alex blushed. "Luigi! You shouldn't have…really. I didn't mind about Gene not buying me champagne."

Luigi's smile deepened. "Ah, but he did Seniorigna. I'm just the messenger. Those are his words, not mine."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise and she looked over to where Gene was still leaning against the bar, watching her, one long leg crossed over the other. Ray had joined the other lads in order to tease Chris, and Gene was the only person in the room who was on his own. In all the noise and hilarity, he was an oasis of intense stillness and Alex realised that she was the sole focus of his gaze. Feeling her breathing quicken, she excused herself from the conversation, and walked slowly back across the room to him, keeping her eyes fixed on his.

She stopped inches from him, feeling the heat from his body, her fingers trembling with electricity as she slipped her hand under the lapel of his jacket to rest over his racing heart. For a long moment, they stared at each other; just as they'd done well over eighteen months ago on the day she'd first arrived. His mouth curved into a slow, smile and Alex suddenly felt dizzy with the strength of her love for him.

"Had enough of talking about weddings, then?" he asked her, closing the gap between their bodies by the simple means of manoeuvring her up against the bar and leaning in close. His mouth was by her ear, and she shivered as his hot breath whispered over her skin.

"Yup." Alex closed her eyes in delight, as Gene's tongue flickered softly against her ear lobe.

"You sure? You looked pretty happy over there…all soft and girly…I don't often see you like that, Alex. It's nice. You look beautiful." She felt his teeth graze her skin and his body pushed against hers, sending the shivers down into the pit of her stomach.

"Thank you for the champagne," she whispered, dreamily, hypnotised by his low throaty growl and the over-whelming _nearness _of him. Gene had a raw physicality about him that she found impossible to resist, even in the middle of a restaurant, surrounded by her colleagues.

"Luigi's a very persuasive man. Trust me to end up wi' a bird wi' expensive tastes. Have you any idea how much he charges for a bottle of that bloody Clicquot stuff?" His hands slid round to cup the cheeks of her arse, mercifully hidden from full view by his body. "Still, he's right, we should be celebrating tonight." Alex let out a small whimper of pleasure, as one hand slipped down to brush the sensitive area where her thigh met the curve of her bottom. She heard him chuckle, gruffly.

"Alex?" he whispered, hoarsely. "Let's go home."

"Great idea." she murmured in reply, before realising abruptly, why it wasn't actually a great idea at all. "Ah….there's a problem there…. We've got a guest staying with us… sorry." She saw Gene frown and hurried to explain. "I thought you wouldn't mind if I let Tom stay at ours for a while. He's seems really down at the moment and he needs taking care of."

"And what about me, Bolly! I need taking care of right this bloody minute!" He pouted at her, his plans thwarted.

"I'm so sorry! We could go somewhere else." She tipped her head to one side, grinning roguishly, as an idea occurred to her.

"No way, Bolly! I'm not shagging you at the station again! I've way too much to lose these days… and I'm not renting a room by the hour in some scuzzy hotel." He sighed in frustration. "Christ! This is like being a lad again…. all full of lust and nowhere to go....… and before you suggest it, I am _not _doing it in the car. I'm far too old for that sort of malarkey."

"I wasn't thinking of any of those places." Alex kissed him on the lips, and turned round to lean over the bar. She beckoned to Luigi and whispered in his ear. He gave them both a very cheeky look before going to the cash register. From underneath the cash tray he took out a set of keys, handing them to Alex with a wink.

"Just leave them behind the bar on your way out."

Gene was grinning too, as she turned round to face him again. "They what I think they are?"

She nodded wickedly. "Come on. No one will guess."

She went to move away from him and he grabbed her wrist, holding her still. "Can you get my coat, Bolly? It's on the chair over by Ray. I wouldn't ask, but its best I stay here for a minute or two."

Alex raised her eyebrows in mock-surprise as she looked down at him. "Good job it's a long coat, Gene; hides a multitude of sins."

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Climbing hurriedly up the stairs, Alex heard him growl. "Christ, I love your arse, Bolly. 'Specially in those jeans. How quickly can you take them off?"

As she struggled to get the key in the lock, she could feel him behind her, the length of his body pressing against her, his teeth on her neck. "Hurry up, Alex" he whispered, "Or I'm gonna have to fuck you out here on the landing." Her shaking fingers managed to turn the key, just as he started to unzip her jeans.

They stumbled through the door and Gene towed her over to the sofa, dumping the glasses and champagne down on the coffee table. "Sit down" he told her, his voice tight and clipped with desire, pushing her down onto the cushions and dragging off her jumper and bra. He let out a groan at the sight of her bare breasts, bending his head to suck at them with rough urgency, before kneeling in front of her. He pulled off her boots with frantic, shaking hands and removed her jeans with one swift tug.

"Fucking Hell, Alex!"

She laughed at the surprise in his voice. She wasn't wearing any knickers and his questing fingers had sunk straight into her wet, heated flesh. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this to you on this bloody sofa," she heard him mutter just before he hooked her legs over his shoulders and plunged his tongue deep inside her. "Ohhhh! Oh God! Gene!" Alex screamed, her hands clutching at his hair as she urged her hips up to meet his hot, frenzied mouth. She felt his teeth graze her clit, his tongue lapping hungrily at her flesh as she flung her head back, oblivious to anything but the heat of his mouth on her. She moaned in torment as he teased her, his tongue flickering, making her throb and ache for more, as he brought her swiftly and expertly to the edge of her climax, his hands gripping her hips to keep her still as he licked and sucked at her.

"Jesus, Alex….you taste so good" he gasped, dragging his mouth from her and moving swiftly up her body, his tongue swirling round her breast, flicking across one, achingly hard, nipple. As his mouth met hers, wet with her juices, she felt his fingers pushing into her, working her hard in a maddening rhythm that keep her just a heartbeat away from exploding with ecstasy. "Oh, God, Gene…please…need you now.."

She fumbled at his zip, pushing down his trousers and boxers, and reached for him, feeling him hard and ready in her hand, her fingers moving down teasingly to stroke his balls. He groaned into her mouth, grabbing her round the waist and twisting round until she sat astride him. She dipped her head, pulling at his tie, his shirt buttons, her mouth at his throat, her tongue licking the hollow at the base of his neck.

His breathing was ragged, his voice hoarse. "I want you, Alex…….fuck me….hard…..ride me…" he rasped, lifting her up and onto him, his cock thrusting fiercely inside her. She sucked in her breath sharply at the sensation, biting at her bottom lip, her body shuddering with lust as she felt every inch of him pushing into her.

She ground her hips against him and pulled his head to her breast. "Bite" she demanded, and he did so, his teeth closing sharply on her tender flesh. She screamed again and begin to move, bucking her hips hard as he thrust up into her.

"Jesus Christ!" Gene hissed through his teeth, his head back, eyes closed. "Harder…...don't stop....more Alex.." She increased her pace, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she felt herself begin to tighten around him. He grunted with every movement that she made, his hands gripping her waist, and she knew that he was close to coming; she could feel the shivers running through him. He bit at her breast again, his tongue flicking hard over her already hypersensitive flesh. Alex exploded in a rush of sensation, her body convulsing against his, feeling him pulse and spill into her with a wordless shout of pleasure.

He held her tightly, rocking her gently. "Alex…. Alex…. my Alex" he whispered, his body trembling with aftershocks. "God, I love you so much." He raised his face to hers and she lent her forehead on his, staring deep into his eyes, her hands cupping his face gently.

"Well, that's not fair,"she murmured "It's bloody freezing in here and I'm completely naked while you still have nearly all your clothes on. How did that happen?"

She felt him shrug. "Don't know, Bolly. I'm just lucky, I suppose." He ran a hand down her spine, making her arch her back, as he feathered light kisses over her neck and breasts. "I like the fact it's cold in here," he laughed, his tongue teasing the stiff peaks of her nipples.

When she'd recovered sufficiently and could make her legs move again, Alex pulled her clothes back on and rejoined Gene on the sofa, sitting with her legs across his lap, her shoulder nestled into the crook of his arm, his coat pulled up over her for warmth.

He'd watched her as she dressed, a lazy half smile on his lips and when she'd finally sat down again, he topped up their glasses, clinking his gently against hers.

"So? Why the champagne? What are we celebrating? Please don't tell me just because it's Valentine's Day; I won't believe it. You have your moments, Mr Hunt, but you're not that soppy." She looked up at him, stroking the hollow of his throat with her fingers. "Would it have anything to do with those meetings in Birmingham?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes half closed. "Yes, it would be something to do wi' those meetings, but it was also because you really were the most beautiful woman in the room."

His mouth curved into a contented smile against her lips as she kissed him.

"Birmingham was a job interview, wasn't it? The Super said something about you impressing the panel, last week and I didn't have a bloody clue what he was talking about." He fingers stilled as a thought occurred to her. "You're not being transferred up there, are you?"

"No, I'm not going to Birmingham." He sighed as her fingers began their soft, slow circling once more. "I am moving jobs, though… and offices. I'm being moved over to be part of the CDS. They've got rid of lots dead wood in the last few months and they need a new team."

Alex froze, fear clashing horribly with anger as she realised what he was telling her. Anger won and she exploded with frightened rage. Gene hurriedly removed her glass from her hand as she waved it furiously in front of him.

"Central Drugs Squad! Bloody Hell, Gene! What on earth were you thinking! It's too dangerous! For God's sake.....you say you're worried about me being out there with another team, but it works both ways you know!" She felt her eyes start to fill with tears and blinked them away ferociously. "I bet you've never once thought about how much I worry about you, have you? You just go ahead and do exactly as you want with no regard for my feelings! Is this why you wouldn't tell me what was……"

He cut her off with a fierce kiss, his mouth crashing down on hers. She struggled to continue speaking for a split second before surrendering totally to him, her senses spinning as he tangled his hands into her hair and held her tightly. He kissed her into trembling submission before he broke away from her, breathing heavily.

"Jesus Christ, woman! If you'd just shut up for five bloody seconds, then I can finish what I was trying to tell you!" he growled, his eyes burning into hers.

Alex went to speak and he put his hand over her mouth.

"No! Not another bloody word! I do know how much you worry about me, and I don't take that for granted, Alex. Not for one single second. Is that clear?" His gaze was intense, his face utterly serious.

She nodded and he took his hand away.

"Right." He took a deep breath. "Lets start again, shall we? I'm moving to the Drugs Squad but I won't actually be out on the streets chasing any of the bastard druggie scum; my team will be doing that for me. I'll be safe behind a desk, Alex. I'm being promoted. They're making me Superintendent."

He watched her face anxiously for her reaction. Alex couldn't say anything; she just stared at him in shock.

"Well?" he snapped, crossly. "Say something for God's sake! A minute ago, I couldn't shut you up for love nor money!" The anxiety in his expression deepened. "Tell me I've made the right decision, Alex....please."

She smiled shakily, wrapping her arms round his neck and burying her face in his shoulder, unable to take in what he'd just told her.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," she whispered, "That's fantastic! Well done." She lifted her head, her eyes shining with tears. "I don't know why I'm crying," she laughed, "I'm so, so proud of you."

He smiled down at her indulgently, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "So you bloody should be! A year ago I was hanging on by my fingernails and now I'm good enough for promotion."

Alex shifted back slightly from him, tipping her head up to see his face properly.

"So what made you change your mind? I thought you'd turned promotion down twice already?"

Gene sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "You've definitely been talking to our Super, haven't you. Yes, I turned it down when I was with GMP, but this time it was different. It's not as though I've had much choice in the matter, anyway. Times are changing and I have to change with them.

I was given two options; go for the position in CDS, or stay where I was and prepare to collect my pension in eighteen months to two years. It was made quite clear that I'm not the sort of copper that they want dealing with the general public on a daily basis. I'm too old-school, too unpredictable. I don't fit into their shiny new vision of the future of the Met. Having said that, they also made it clear that they didn't want to lose my experience or my knowledge so they're shifting me to head up an Area Drug Squad. I'm still catching scum, I'm just not upsetting so many people while I'm about it."

He opened one eye and grinned. "Anyway, now I know you're alright with it, I'm OK with it too, really. There's lots of positives; my job's secure… I get a pay rise…. no more weekend shifts… and best of all, I'm _two _ranks above you now, Bolly. You really do have to do as I say. Insubordination, an' all that."

He laughed as she slapped him lightly on the chest. "I only have to do what you say during working hours, Gene. At home, I can be as insubordinate as I like."

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They finished their champagne, exchanging soft, slow kisses between sips, before inevitably, one thing led to another, and Alex found herself naked once more, spiralling up into ecstasy as Gene moved slowly over her and in her, murmuring her name, his face buried her neck as he came deep inside her.

They lay quietly on the sofa, still entwined, listening to the thudding of their hearts and the muffled thump of the music from downstairs. Alex glanced reluctantly at her watch, and stroked Gene's shoulder, smiling as he stretched contentedly and pulled her tighter against him. "Gene?"

"Mmmm?" He opened his eyes, and blinked at her sleepily. "What?"

"We should be going soon. Not only is it freezing in here, Tom needed to talk to us both about something. He didn't say what, but I have a feeling it's important."


	47. Chapter 47

**This chapter's quite short (and sweetish), but I had to split certain events up as otherwise the whole thing was just too long.**

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The house was in darkness when they got home, and as Alex unlocked the front door, her ears were swamped with the soaring, achingly-beautiful sound of a Puccini aria at full blast.

"What the hell's that?" asked Gene

"La Boheme. It's one of mine."

"Course it is" muttered Gene. "Trust Fletcher to like the same poncey music as you. I can't understand a bloody word of it."

"I 've told you, that doesn't matter. It's the emotion in the music that matters." She shivered. "Gives me goosebumps this bit. It's when they meet for the first time and fall in love."

"If you say so, Bolly. It all sounds the same to me." Gene opened the sitting room door. "Christ, Fletch! What the bloody hell are you doing sitting in here in the pitch dark? And how much have you had to drink?" The volume of the music dropped somewhat as Gene turned it down.

Alex slung her jacket over the bannister, and followed Gene into the sitting room, worried about what she might find. Sitting in the dark listening to opera was never a good sign. He hadn't seemed that bad when she'd left him; a bit melancholy perhaps but that was all.

"Not that much." she heard Tom reply. "Just enough to stop me feeling like total crap."

Tom was sitting on the floor by the record player, his back against the sideboard, another bottle of red wine and a glass next to him. He looked both drunk and hopeless and she crouched down beside him, taking his hand in hers.

"Tom? What's happened?"

He looked up at her, his dark eyes huge with despair. He had hollows under his cheekbones that most women would kill for and his scar was even more noticeable against the paleness of his skin. He groped for something by his side and handed it to her.

Gene switched on the table lamps so that they could see and Alex's stomach twisted with anger as she realised she was holding another white envelope, this time with Tom's name scrawled across the front. She opened it up, taking out the single sheet of paper.

"_Back off, Tom or I'll tell."_

She handed it to Gene.

"When did get this?"

"This morning. It was on my desk when I got to work. Gene told me about the ones that had been sent to you two, so I assumed it was from the same person."

"_Back off_" queried Alex. "What's that about? Drugs?"

"Yes. Gene and I rounded up half a dozen dealers on Friday. We also arrested one of the middle men. He's not the main supplier by any stretch of the imagination, but he distributes a large amount of drugs to the street dealers."

Alex looked up at Gene. "You never told me you were going to do that?"

He shook his head, his face grim. "No I didn't. I didn't want you to have anything to wi' it. The less you knew, Alex, the less you were involved. You were safely out of the way, playing wi' the suits and I wanted you to stay that way."

She bit back the protest that rose to her lips. He was right; she'd been busy elsewhere. If she was going to take this new job, then sooner she got used to being out of the loop, the better.

"So anything else happen, or is it just this lovely little note?" Gene poured himself a measure of whisky and leaned against the dining table.

"No, it gets worse. This morning, two of my lads found a body in the old goods yards up behind King's Cross. There was an envelope pinned to it with my name on it. It's gone to forensics, but I can tell you what it said. The meaning was quite clear. "_Sorted. Try this again, Tom and you're history."_

The body was identified as one of my informants; Joseph Collins. I'd been pushing Collins for information on the guy who'd taken over Waltham's operation. He told me that it was too dangerous, but I wasn't willing to listen. He'd been tortured and then beaten to death. My DS threw-up when he saw the state the body was in, and he's been doing this job for years. Takes a lot to make him lose his breakfast. "

He took a huge gulp from his wine glass, before holding out another white envelope to Gene. "This was dropped through your letterbox about half an hour after Lexi left to meet you."

Gene scanned the contents, his mouth twisting into a grimace.

"Shit, Fletch. You're not exactly being discreet in these, are you!"

He handed them to Alex; half a dozen photos, in grainy black and white like the one of Tracy Cooke. They were all of Tom; outside a bar, kissing another man. In every one of them, Tom's face was clearly visible. All that could be seen of his companion was the back of his head and the hood of his sweatshirt. Alex read the accompanying note.

"_Your boys have been asking questions. Call them off, Fletcher."_

Tom looked up at Gene, wearily. "I was drunk. Very drunk. I never get pissed when I'm somewhere like that. I'm always careful. That's why I'm almost certain that my drink was spiked. I was so out of it, I could barely walk. I managed to hold it together long enough to get a cab home."

"So did you know this guy? Or did you meet him in the bar?" Alex spoke softly, sensing just how broken Tom was.

"In the bar. I'd never seen him before. He just came up to me and we started talking. He bought me a drink and then the next thing I remember is him kissing me, after we'd got outside. He wanted me to go back to his place with him."

"And what made you say no?" barked Gene. Alex could see the subject matter was making him uncomfortable. "Too pissed to get it up?"

Tom gave him a withering look. "No! It may surprise you, Gene, but it works the same way for us queers as it does for you lot. It helps if you actually fancy someone before you shag them!"

Gene held his gaze for a minute as Alex held her breath. He dropped his eyes first, rubbing a hand over his face. "Sorry, Fletch," he muttered. "Ignore me. I just find this part of your life difficult to understand."

Tom gave a bitter laugh. "Sometimes I don't understand it either, if it's any help."

"What will you do? You can't stop the investigation into Collins's murder."

"I know. I'm going to see my Superintendent about it first thing tomorrow and after I've told him, I'll request a leave of absence and then possibly a transfer."

"Will your Super keep it quiet?" asked Alex. "If he doesn't, you'll find it difficult to get a post anywhere else."

"I think he will. He's a fairly decent sort of bloke, but then you never really know how anybody will react to finding out something like this." Tom shrugged. "What else can I do? If he tells everyone else, I'll just have to deal with it. I can't let someone close down a murder investigation because of my guilty little secret."

Alex frowned at them both, as a unwelcome thought occurred to her. "So you were both involved in the arrests?" They nodded. "Then it's probably safe to assume that you've got a message waiting for you at the station, then?" She turned to focus on Gene, fear catching in her throat.

"Good point." It was Gene's turn to frown as she got to her feet. "Where you going, Bolly?"

"Back to the Station; we should find out exactly what they've sent."

Gene shook his head, folding his arms across his chest in that stubborn gesture that Alex knew so well. "No way," he told her bluntly. "I'm not rushing down there at this time of night just because someone's playing silly games. If they'd wanted me to see it that badly, they'd have posted through the door wi' Tom's one. I bet you someone's watching the house, just waiting for us to do exactly as they want." He fixed her with a hard stare. "We're all staying right here, and then we'll go in to work in the morning as usual. OK?"

Alex thought about for a moment and then nodded, reluctantly. She didn't like the idea of waiting until the morning. It was against her impulsive nature, but what he said made sense and she really didn't want to go back out now anyway. She wanted a long soak in a hot bath and then bed, with Gene there with her to keep her safe and warm. "OK. You're the Boss."

He chuckled, shaking his head as he wandered over to the sofa and sank down onto it with a contented sigh. "No, I'm the Guv, Alex, for now anyway, even if it is all about to change."

"Really?" asked Tom. "You been sacked at last then, Gene?" he joked.

"No, you disrespectful bastard! I've been promoted! You should be on your feet, Fletcher. You're in the presence of a senior officer!" Gene laughed at Tom's astonished face.

"Fuck me! You're not joking either, are you? How the bloody hell did you manage that?"

"No thanks, Tom. You're not my type. Anyway ,what do you mean "_How did I manage that_?" By being bloody good at my job, you cheeky sod!"

Alex stood up, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. "Right. I'm going to leave you two to play nicely, and go and have a bath." She gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Don't stay up too late."

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When Gene came up an hour or later, she was in bed, drifting pleasantly in that space between waking and sleeping. She watched him sleepily, as he undressed and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower. When he returned, smelling deliciously of shampoo and soap, she reached out and wrapped an arm round him as he curled up beside her. His head rested on her shoulder and his hair, still damp from the shower, tickled her skin. She ran her fingers through it gently, smoothing it back from his forehead, and heard him sigh softly.

"I like this bit of living wi' you, Alex." he murmured, his hand stroking the curve of her hip. She smiled to herself, hearing the love in voice, feeling the sense of peace and fulfilment that she only ever experienced with Gene, wash over her. _This may be the closest I'll ever get to knowing what Heaven's like_, she thought. _Heaven is Gene; no-one and nothing else, just him_.

"Which bit?" she whispered, trailing her fingers lightly across the muscle of his upper arm.

"The bit where I get into bed wi' you at the end of the day. It's nice....it makes me feel..." he hesitated, and Alex knew he wouldn't say whatever was in his mind. There were definite limits to Gene's "soppiness".

"Safe?" she hazarded, voicing her own feelings, and to her surprise she felt him nod.

"Yup. That's it.....like there's just you and me, and no-one else in the whole world."

From the room above there came the sound of Tom's heavy footsteps across the floor and Alex heard his muffled voice cursing about something.

Gene sighed. "Well, just you and me, and the flat-footed nancy you've invited to stay wi' us."

"Sorry. You don't really mind, do you? He's just so lonely."

"No,I don't mind, Bolly. I've spent enough years being lonely myself. I remember all too well what it's like."

He was silent for a moment, and Alex lay still, loving the feeling of him in her arms, the sharp, clean scent of his skin, and the heat from his hand where it rested on her stomach. When he spoke again, his voice was warm and contented, like the purr of a big cat.

"So, will you take the Scotland Yard job they've offered you? Help drag us all kicking and screaming into the brave new world?"

"How did you know about that? I was waiting until I knew what was going on with you before I said anything."

"I have my sources, Alex. Come on, tell me; Scotland Yard or Fenchurch East?"

Alex thought about it, suddenly realising that there was now no question as to which one she'd choose. Now that Gene was going to be a Superintendent, he wouldn't have to work shifts, he'd have his weekends free, and if she continued in CID she'd be reduced to snatching a few hours with him, here and there, between her shifts and working weekends. She wasn't willing to let that happen; there had been more then enough stress in their lives already, without her complicating it further.

"Scotland Yard." she told him without hesitation.

She felt him sigh with relief, his whole body relaxing as she told him what he'd needed to hear. "So it really is all change then. You, me, Chris and Shaz. Poor Raymondo; he's not going to be a happy lad when he finds out. He was none too pleased about Chris getting engaged."

"Gene?" she asked, a thought occurring to her. "Did you know that Chris was going to propose? You told me not to miss it."

She heard him chuckle softly. "Course I did, Bolly. He asked me about it a couple of weeks ago; wanted to check it was all OK with me, what wi' him and Shaz working together. I said it was fine, but one of them will have to transfer somewhere else."

"Did you know he was going to Pargetter's then? Because I remember Chris saying something to Mr P about you giving him a call?"

"Yes, that's right. I needed to ask Raymond's advice."

"Really?" Something odd was going on. Alex could her it in the cagey tone of Gene's voice.

He made no move reply and Alex didn't push the issue, ignoring his silence and asking him a different question, instead.

"So would you also have anything to do with the fact that Mr Pargetter let him have that ring at an extremely reasonable price?"

"Ah...yes, well. I did a kind of deal wi' him."

"With Chris or Mr P?"

"Both actually. I'd asked them to do me a favour." He spoke hesitantly as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should actually be saying anything at all.

Alex said nothing. She could feel Gene waiting for her to ask him another question. She resisted the desire to speak, knowing that he'd crack first; she was far better at this particular game than he was.

"Don't you want to know what it was?" he asked her, after a few moments, shifting his body abruptly and leaning up on his elbow to look at her.

Alex shrugged, innocently. "No, not really, Gene. After all, it's you business. You don't have to tell me everything."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, you really are the most annoying woman I've ever met." His tone was sulky, like a child whose game's been spoilt.

She smiled sweetly. "Really? Why's that ,Gene?"

He frowned at her, letting out a growl of frustration, before flinging back the duvet. He stalked across the room and grabbed her dressing gown from the back of the door. Throwing it on the bed, he pulled on his trousers. "Come on" he told her, huffily. "I'll show you. You started this bloody conversation and I'll never be able to sleep now, if I don't finish it."

She followed him downstairs to the sitting room, pulling her dressing gown on as she went. He switched on one of the table lamps and pointed to one of the leather chairs. "You'd best sit there" he told her, abruptly, looking unaccountably agitated as he took his mother's rosewood box down from the mantelpiece. "I put in here for safe keeping," he muttered, turning away from her so that she couldn't see what he was doing.

"Right. Close your eyes and hold out your hand"

Alex obeyed, feeling him place something small and square in her palm. She closed her fingers round it and felt the distinctive texture of velvet. Her heart began to beat unevenly and she felt her hand tremble.

"Open them" Gene told her, gruffly. She did so slowly, looking at him before she looked down at her hand. His face was twisted with nerves, his eyes huge with anxiety. He rubbed the back of neck awkwardly as she looked down at the small black velvet box that nestled in the palm of her hand.

"It's not what you think, Alex." She could hear the rising note of panic in his voice. He cleared his throat nervously before hurrying on. " I know you don't want that,… and that's fine…I understand… I just wanted to get you something to show that we're together… that you're wi' me…. That's OK , isn't it?"

He stopped as she opened the box and gazed at the ring contained within it. It was an eternity ring, set all the way round with icy white diamonds. She let out a shaky laugh, not knowing what to say or do.

"I wondered why we were looking at these. I just thought that Chris was being even more thick than usual. I didn't even catch on when Mr Pargetter made me try on my favourite. God, some bloody detective, I am. Can't even work out when I'm being set up!" She laughed wildly, feeling light-headed with shock.

Alex realised that she was babbling to cover up how she felt. She was deliriously happy, and utterly amazed that he'd done something like this, but strangely, she also felt a sharp stab of disappointment.

She'd been expecting an engagement ring, had been so absolutely certain that he'd been about to propose to her. "_But you don't want to get married, Alex,"_ whispered a little voice inside her head, "_so why are you upset?"_

She looked up to find him still staring at her with a worried frown, his incredible eyes searching her face for her answer. Her heart filled with an overwhelming rush of love for him; this beautiful, passionate, intensely complex man who knelt on the floor beside her, anxiously waiting for her to speak. He was everything; she couldn't imagine life without him. It didn't matter that he hadn't asked her to marry him; he was still hers.

"It's beautiful, Gene. I don't know what to say….Thank you…..I love you."

He let out a pent-up breath. "Thank bloody Christ for that! I thought you hated it for a minute." He took the ring from the box, slipping onto the third finger of her left hand, frowning slightly in concentration as he eased it over her knuckle.

"I had it engraved, but the writing had to be really small. Mr Pargetter had to put it on the side because of the way the stones are set. Doesn't matter though, so long as you and I know it's there."

Alex raised her hand but in the dim light of the sitting room, she struggled to even see the incredibly tiny writing, let alone read it.

Gene watched her squint, his eyes fixed on her face. "Shall I tell you what it says?" he asked her, his voice rough with emotion.

She nodded, gazing at him, her heart aching with love. "Please."

She felt him take her hand, his long fingers entwining with hers and gripping them hard.

"There's a "G" and an "A", and then just one word. That's all it needs. It says everything."

"What's the one word, Gene" she whispered, holding his silver bright gaze.

"Unbreakable"

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They were woken just after six by the sound of Tom getting up and going downstairs for breakfast.

"You know, for a fairy, he makes a hell of a lot of noise" Gene mumbled sleepily into her shoulder.

"He's obviously left his wings at his house." giggled Alex, turning over onto her side to ease the pins and needles in her arm where Gene was lying on it. In doing so, her breasts brushed his face and she felt his tongue begin to tease one rapidly hardening nipple.

"Mmmm" he growled, tugging gently at it with his teeth. "What a nice thing to wake up to, Bolly."

"Lovely" she sighed, languorously, hooking her leg over his and pushing her hips against him, feeling his cock nudging hotly against her thigh. "Wake me up some more please, Gene," she whispered, biting gently along the curve of his neck and shoulder.

He laughed softly, moving a hand lower. Alex gasped with delight as he slipped two fingers inside her, sliding them in and out slowly, curling them upwards to hit just the right spot, making her whimper.

"That waking you up, Alex?"

"Mmmm…oh god….yes." She ground her hips against his hand, gasping as his thumb found her clit. She opened her eyes to find him watching her with an wolfish grin.

"Enjoying yourself?" His fingers increased their rhythm slightly and Alex moaned loudly. "You certainly sound as though you are."

She laughed breathlessly, and reached for him. "Shut up and kiss me, Gene" she growled, her mouth against his.

"Spread those gorgeous legs of yours for me first, Bolly," he demanded huskily, his voice rough with desire. "I need to be inside you."

Alex shivered hotly as a thrill of lust lanced through her, opening her legs wide as he moved over her. He took his weight on his elbows, dipping his head to kiss her slowly and thoroughly, his tongue deep in her mouth.

Gene eased himself into her slowly, inch by delicious inch, pushing in a little way and then pulling back smoothly, again and again, until Alex was pleading with him.

"I love it when you beg me, Alex," he groaned, as he pushed in again, burying himself in her up to the hilt this time.

Alex couldn't even begin to reply. She was lost in the feeling of him thrusting slowly into her. She wrapped her ankles round his legs, rocking her hips, matching his rhythm. She felt the first flickers of her orgasm building and she moaned again.

"Christ …... that's good."

He moved faster, his thrusts becoming deeper and harder as he struggled to stay in control. "Ohhhh God…" he grunted, as she arched her back, suddenly racked with sensation, the new angle of her hips taking him even deeper. He groaned with tormented delight as he came, grinding his hips hard against hers and Alex felt the white-hot rush as he spilled into her. She let herself drown in the heat of him, abandoning herself to the waves of pleasure that swept over her, clenching round him, coming hard and fast, her whole body juddering to the peak of climax.

Rolling over onto his back, Gene pulled her over with him, holding her close. They lay there, wrapped around one another, until the alarm went off, summoning them abruptly back to the real world.

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Alex showered first and went downstairs to join Tom in kitchen, doing her eye make-up and eating cereal at the same time.

"You OK? " she asked him. "Do you need me to come with you?"

He shook his head. "No. Thanks for the offer though. I'll be OK." Tom raised one eyebrow. "That's new, Lexi. You lucky girl."

Aex blushed as she realised that he'd noticed the eternity ring. "Yes, it is, and no-one else knows."

"I won't say word. "

He wandered over to the bookshelves, scanning all the paperbacks that she and Gene had managed to amass between them. On one shelf, Alex had removed all the books and propped up the painting of the girl on the carousel horse that Gene had bought for her in Brighton. In front of it, she'd placed the stones that she'd picked up from her walk on the beach. It was her own small reminder of her previous existence and each time she looked at it, a little of the sadness that she carried with her faded away. Ros had been right; remembering Molly with love and happiness did help to ease the pain.

"I never really looked at this when I was here last week." He leaned forward to study it closely. "It's lovely."

Alex came to stand by the bookshelves, leaning against him. "It reminds me of my daughter." She surprised herself with how little it hurt to say the words.

"You miss her." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. I miss her."She smiled softly. "But it doesn't hurt as much as it did."

"Do you want another child?" Tom asked her, suddenly. "I mean, will you have one with Gene, now that he's proposed? I teased you about it at Christmas, do you remember?" He reached out and squeezed her hand. "All those remarks about baby photos. I'm sorry if I said the wrong thing."

"You didn't say the wrong thing...and he hasn't proposed. This is something to show that we're together, that's all. I think Gene's panicking about us now that we're not going to be working together anymore."

"Well, you can't blame him. You're gorgeous Lexi." Tom frowned, tipping up her chin with his finger, studying her face. "Hey, what's the matter? You're supposed to be happy?"

"I am happy!" Alex wailed. "That's what's so bloody pathetic about the whole thing!" She laughed unsteadily. "I've got everything I want, but it's all wrong! I told Gene that I didn't want to get married, and I told him that I didn't want any more children, but I do. I think that I want both those things and I don't know how to tell him!"

Tom shook his head in disbelief. "Bloody Hell, Lexi. I'm so glad that all I have to deal with is being gay. Being female sounds much too complicated!" He grinned at her and Alex laughed, suddenly realising how ridiculous she was being.

"I am being really stupid, aren't I?" she agreed. "I don't what's wrong with me at the moment. I'm all over the place."

"You are being a bit of a daft cow" laughed Tom "Why can't you just tell him you've changed your mind?"

"Changed your mind about what?" asked a voice and Gene appeared, doing up his tie, frowning at them.

"Nothing! Would you like some toast?" Alex hurriedly changed the subject and Tom made his escape, muttering about going home to change before he went to work.

"I''ll see you two later."

"Bye Tom.....changed your mind about what, Alex?" Gene's tone was ominous and Alex searched desperately for an excuse. She wasn't going to tell him what she'd really been talking about with Tom. Not today when there were too many other things to worry about.


	48. Chapter 48

**OK - plot _and _****smut. Enjoy. ;-)**

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"I don't care! I've changed my mind! I'm coming into work with you, and that's final!" Alex flung herself furiously into the passenger seat of the Quattro. "Don't you dare look at me like that, Gene Hunt!....and don't you bloody well call me that, either!"

She glared at him as Gene slammed the car door moodily behind her, dragging his cigarettes from his coat pocket and lighting up. He paced up and down on the pavement, smoking furiously. She knew that what she was doing was scaring the life out of him, but she really did need to see for herself if there was anything waiting for them at the station. What had started out as an excuse to avoid having a much more emotional conversation had now become the truth. Once she knew if there were any letters, then she'd go back to Scotland Yard, but she didn't want to spend all day worrying about what Gene might find.

Alex leaned out of the window, exasperated beyond belief. "Gene! This whole thing affects me as well as you and Tom, and I want to know what's going on! Stop being so bloody ridiculous and just get in the car! " The early morning sunlight caught the diamonds on her finger, scattering glitterball sparkles across the inside of the Quattro. She laughed, suddenly both distracted and enchanted by the effect, waggling her hand around to make the reflections shimmer and dance, her anger vanishing instantly.

Gene looked up in surprise at the sound, throwing his barely smoked cigarette onto the ground and grinding it savagely under his boot heel. He slid into the driver's seat, pulling her towards him by means of a hand wrapped firmly round the back of her neck, and kissed her ferociously until he had to stop to draw breath.

He sighed, scowling at her in uneasy compromise. "You can see what's going on and then you bugger off and leave us to it. Understood? You're supposed to be at the Yard all week."

"Understood"

"Fine!" He slammed the car into gear and roared away from the kerb, covering the distance from Noel Road to Fenchurch East in less than ten minutes. Alex waited until he'd fishtailed to halt outside the front doors, before reaching up and undoing the clasp of her pendant. Dropping it in her lap, she wriggled the ring from her finger and threaded it onto the chain beside the heart.

Gene watched her with growing bemusement. "What in the name of Christ are you doing?" he snapped. "Don't you want to wear it in public?"

"Don't be silly! Of course I do." Alex reassured him. "Although I do think that maybe you should have saved your money, and just stamp my arse every morning before I go to work, instead. You could get a special one made; _Property of Gene Hunt_." She grinned, watching for his reaction from the corner of her eye.

He looked down at his hands in embarrassment, fiddling with the strap of one glove, as a wry smile edged its way onto his face. "Am I that obvious then, Alex?"

She smiled over at him as she re-fastened the chain round her neck.

"Yes, you are, Gene, and I love you for it. I will wear it in public, just not today. Shaz got engaged last night, or had you forgotten? It's not fair to steal her attention."

Gene stared at her in disbelief. "I will never understand women as long as I live! You lot spend half your lives slapping on the make-up and buying mountains of clothes trying to outdo each other! Then one of you gets a bloody ring on her finger and you get all ridiculous about it! All I can say is thank God I'm a bloke! Life's much simpler."

"You're so right, Gene," she cooed, patting his knee. "How on earth would you cope with all our silly little daily worries….and you'd never manage to walk in high heels." She eyed him mischievously. "Mind you, you'd have killer eyelashes if you used a bit of mascara."

"And that is absolutely the end of this ridiculous conversation. Are you deliberately trying to wind me up this morning, Alex?" He glared at her, eyes narrowed, his chin thrust forward aggressively; uncomfortable at the thought of her laughing at him.

She took his hand. "No. Just trying to distract you from worrying about me. Is it working?"

It was his turn to laugh, his mood changing from dark to light in an instant, making Alex's whole body weak with love. "Yes it is, although you could've just flashed your legs, Bolly. That would have done the trick."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As they walked into Gene's office, the envelope was immediately obvious, laying blatantly on top of the files on his desk. He grabbed it up, ripping the top open, ignoring Ray's warning about fingerprints.

"There won't be any sodding fingerprints, Ray! We both know they're much too clever for that."

Alex watched as he read the contents, his eyes darkening with fury. Silently he handed it to her; his jaw clenched tightly as he tried to contain his anger.

"_Be careful, Hunt. You lost Alex once. It could happen again."_

She dropped it back onto his desk, marching over to hers, suddenly furious. Today of all days she should be happy, looking forward to the changes in her life, not worrying about some egotistical lunatic sending her threatening letters. She wrenched open each of the drawers, knowing that there would be an envelope for her in there somewhere.

She didn't have to search for very long. It was in the bottom drawer; a white padded one, like the first one they'd received. She cut the top open and tipped it up, shaking out the contents. A twist of familiar silky black material slithered out, followed by a pair of handcuffs that thumped onto her desk with a metallic rattle. The note was in red ink this time.

"_Playtime,__ Al__ex._

_Lisa didn't like my games. _

_Will you?"_

There was a photograph as well but Alex couldn't focus on it; the smell had hit her, filling her nostrils with an insidious, cloying scent. She started to shake with remembered terror, the nausea rising in her throat, her hands fumbling for her chair as her legs gave way.

"Alex?" She could hear Gene's voice but it seemed to come from far away, the ringing in her ears drowning it out. _"Playtime" _All she could hear was Harry Waltham's voice; she could smell him, felt him leaning over her with the knife in his hand. She slid to her knees as her vision blurred.

"I'm fine…. I'm fine" she reassured Gene weakly, before grabbing her waste paper bin and throwing up into it violently, her cheeks burning with the shame of puking in front of the lads like some silly girl. It seemed to last forever, her whole body shaking, her stomach heaving repeatedly until there was nothing left in it to come up. Gene knelt beside her, holding her hair back from her face with one hand, the other rubbing her back.

"You're not fine... It's alright, Alex.... It's OK….here… drink this." He pushed a glass of water into her trembling hand and she gulped it down gratefully.

"I'm sorry… it's the smell."

Gene frowned. "Smell?"

"On the gloves," she whispered. "Take them away, please. I can't bear it."

"What gloves?" He clearly still didn't understand. He obviously hadn't looked at what was on her desk yet.

Alex drew a deep breath, pushing down the terror and leaning against him weakly, drawing the comforting scent of him down into her lungs. "There were gloves in the envelope. Like the ones I wore to Waltham's club; they smell of his aftershave."

She smiled shakily at him, feeling as scared and as helpless as she had done on that horrific night. Her eyes filled with tears and Gene pulled her into his arms.

"Bastard! Fucking bastard! I'll kill him!" he hissed, clutching her fiercely to him. "Ray! Get an evidence bag and put those bloody gloves in it! Seal it up!" Gene looked round, searching for someone. "Shaz! You got any perfume in your handbag?"

She nodded. "Yes, Guv."

"Right! Spray it about by Alex's desk. Get rid of the smell of the other stuff. Then you can open the windows."

He turned back to Alex, carefully helping her to her feet. "You can sit my office until you get yourself sorted out," he told her briskly, caught between his concern for her and not wanting to look like too much of a "soft git" in front of the others. "Chris!"

"Yes Guv?"

"Sort out Drake's waste paper bin."

"Yes, Guv." Alex saw Chris's shoulders slump and she shook her head weakly.

"No. That's not fair. I can do it later."

"No, you will not! There's a skip out the back, Chris. Chuck it in there, and pinch another one from Uniform."

Gen made her tea himself, adding enough sugar to make her wince with the sweetness. She sipped it carefully, holding the mug in both hands, afraid that they would start to tremble again.

"What was the photo of?" she asked him, trying to sound calm. She knew what his answer would be; she'd registered enough of it before she'd nearly fainted. It was an image taken from a video tape that Waltham had made of his attack on her. The huge mirror at the end of the bed had concealed a camera and they'd found tapes dating back a few years. It would seem that he'd filmed most of the women that he'd taken there. Alex hadn't actually seen any of the videos; after she'd made her statement, she'd tried to put the whole ordeal from her mind, only too aware that she would haveto reliveit all at Waltham's trial when she gave evidence.

"You" Gene told her, gruffly. "In that bloody room….. wi' Waltham" She held out her hand for it and he shook his head. "No. You don't need to see it, Alex. It's bad enough that you've seen what else he sent."

She went back over the wording of the note in her mind, comparing it to the other ones."Whoever this is, they write those letters as though they know us. I'm always addressed as Alex and he used Tom's name in the first two letters."

Alex sorted slowly through her thoughts and impressions of the letters. A familiar phrase nagged at her, but the memory of where she'd heard it proved too elusive."He's not so friendly with you though. You're always "_Hunt". _He doesn't like you…you've upset him somehow."

"Well tough bloody luck! I don't like him much either! In fact I'll go so far as to say I hate his fucking guts!"

He poured himself a whisky, the rage emanating from him in waves. "Bastard!" he roared again, banging his fist down hard on the filing cabinet, making Alex jump. "How did anyone get hold of that photo? It's evidence for God's sake! It's supposed to be safely locked away!"

"What if someone's got official access to it?" Alex wondered. "Like they've got access to this Station. They seem to be able to leave the letters in CID easily enough. No one at the front desk ever sees anyone suspicious. Remember the pattern of incidents that Shaz and I mapped out? That proves that they have knowledge of our operations… when and where. They know how to play us and Uniform off against each other."

Gene glared at her his expression outraged "Are you suggesting it's one of us that's doing this! A copper!"

Alex nodded. "I'm not saying it's anyone in this department but you have to admit that all the evidence points to it being someone who has inside information." She broke off, her eyes wide with shock as she remembered something else. "Gene, do you remember Tracy Cooke's last words? This gives a whole different meaning to them."

"_Police_...... She said _police. _I thought she was talking about us." Gene stared back at her, understanding dawning on his face.

"So did I, but then she said "_policeman"._ She was looking at me as she said that, not you. She wasn't talking about us, she was trying to tell us who killed Lisa!"

She looked round as Shaz knocked hesitantly at the open office door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Guv. Can I ask a question?"

Gene opened his mouth to roar at her, but Alex held up her hand to stop him. He turned away with a sigh of frustration, throwing the whisky down his throat and pouring himself another glass. Alex closed her eyes briefly, willing herself to relax. The last thing she needed was Gene sinking into one of his black rages. "It's fine, Shaz. Ask away."

"Ray said that DCI Fletcher got one of these letters on Friday. That's what you told him, wasn't it Guv?" Gene nodded abruptly, still incandescent with rage at Alex's suggestion.

"Well, how was it delivered to him? Was it posted?"

"He didn't say."

"Can I ring Collier Street and find out, Ma'am? I promise I'll explain what it's about."

Alex looked at Gene, who sighed. "Yes. Go on then, Shaz. Ring them up."

They sat in silence while she went to her desk and made the phone call, Gene staring broodingly into his whisky glass, twisting it to and fro in his hand. Alex sat very quietly, trying her best to not to throw up again. She still felt light-headed and unusually queasy. When Shaz reappeared, her expression was serious but Alex could sense the undercurrent of excitement within her. She glanced over at Alex who smiled tiredly at her. "Go ahead, Shaz. Tell us what you've found out."

The younger woman flashed her a grateful smile before nervously beginning to speak.

"DCI Fletcher's letter was delivered to Collier Street by internal post. They've still got the mailing envelope it came in; it's like this one." She held up an large brown envelope, the front of it divided into two columns, with twenty rows in each one. "You know how it works, Ma'am. You put all the mail for one person in one of these and then you write their name on the front. It's sent to them, and then they reuse it when they need to put anything back in the internal post. I thought that if we knew the name of the person who'd had the envelope before DCI Fletcher, then we'd have an idea of where it came from."

"OK. Makes sense so far." agreed Alex.

"The name on the envelope was Nora Frazer. She's one of the secretaries up on the forth floor here. Her name's not important though. What matters is who she sits next to." Shaz paused, still unsure of airing her theory. "She sits next to Carmen Stubbs, Ma'am."

Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"And?" barked Gene. "What have secretarial seating arrangements got to do with whoever's threatening Alex?"

Shaz took a deep breath. "I came back to the station last night. It wasn't late, about half seven. Everyone else was already over at Luigi's, but I'd forgotten my keys. When I reached the door to CID, Carmen was coming out of it. She nearly died of fright when she saw me; she said that she was looking for me, but when I went to get my keys from my desk, the door to your office was open. I know you shut it before you left; I remember you doing it, Guv. What if Carmen went in there to leave the letter on your desk, but then realised I was coming back. I was shouting to Viv, on the front desk, asking him if he was coming over for a drink or not, so she would have heard me. She was holding a stack of files so the envelope could have been hidden in there."

"But why would Carmen be involved in any of this? I know she hates me but surely she wouldn't do something like that." Alex couldn't see where Shaz's theory was going and she was afraid that Gene would lose his temper with her.

"That's not all of it, Ma'am. I found out something about her last week, when we were all chatting at lunch. It didn't matter at the time, but it might do now. Carmen's got a new bloke. She's been seeing him since December. They met in some pub when she was out with her cousin, Maxine Dobson. He's a good friend of Maxine's husband Ricky; known him for years, apparently.

What I didn't realise until yesterday is, that Carmen's mum & dad don't like her hanging around with Maxine. Carmen was complaining about it last night, reckons they're being unfair just because Ricky's bit dodgy. She told us that he's got a step brother, who's even worse, and this is where it starts to get interesting; Ricky's step brother is Carl Evans; the boyfriend of Lisa Hawkins. None of this made sense until just now when I heard you say it could be a police officer behind the drug deals and the letters. Carmen's boyfriend is a police officer, and he knows all three of you."

Gene's scowl deepened. "I'm not going to like what you're about to say, am I, Shaz"

"No Guv. Carmen's boyfriend is DI Marsh."

"_Eddie_ Marsh?" queried Alex.

Shaz nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," she confirmed quietly. "I just thought it was important, seeing as he knows Carl Evans, and he was involved in the Waltham arrest with you all."

"He was _very _involved! He'd know exactly what happened that night and it was the three of us that gave evidence against him afterwards.... bloody hell, Shaz! You've opened a whole new line of enquiry with this!"

Suddenly, with astonishing clarity, the phrase that had been eluding her, came to the forefront of her mind "_Watch yourself in there tonight.._" She saw an image of Eddie Marsh standing in front of her in the hotel room, warning her about Waltham. "_Watch yourself.._."

Alex looked over at Gene, knowing with utter certainty that Shaz's theory was correct. "The letters... Eddie Marsh wrote them. _Watch yourself_. That's what he said to me the night we raided Waltham's club... she's right ,Gene. It's him."

Gene remained motionless, frowning at the surface of his desk, his gaze far-away. Alex waited, bracing herself for the explosion. When he finally looked up, his eyes were glittering with barely controlled rage, but his tone was calm and precise.

"Shaz, ask Carmen Stubbs to come down here now."

"Could you ask Janet Middleton to accompany her please, Shaz? She'll need someone with her."

"Why?" snapped Gene.

Alex waited until Shaz had left his office before speaking in a low voice. "You are not to speak to her on your own. Is that clear?"

He looked at her in furious astonishment. "I beg your pardon, DI Drake. Just who is the senior officer here?"

Alex sighed in exasperation. She felt sick and dizzy and she just wanted to go and lie down but that wasn't going to be possible for a long while yet. "Oh for God's sake, Gene! Don't go all bloody precious on me! Think about it! You had a brief sexual relationship with Carmen. Not only that, she hates the pair of us. You shouldn't go anywhere near her unless you have at least two witnesses, reliable witnesses, who can corroborate everything you say to her. I'm not being bossy; I'm just trying to make sure we do everything correctly. If she's capable of leaving those letters in CID, then she's more than capable of twisting anything you say to her."

She leaned her head forward onto her knees, fighting the nausea. "If you're going to interview her, just make sure it's done properly," she snapped, exhausted by the whole conversation.

He didn't say anything for a long moment and then she heard him pick up the telephone receiver and ask to be put through to the Super's office. He outlined events briefly, answering a few questions. "Yes Sir, I am sure..... Yes, I know, it's got to be handed properly.........Right, Sir. You make enquiries about Marsh is and I'll talk to Carmen Stubbs.....Thank You, Sir."

Gene slammed down the phone and Alex raised her head to look at him. "Few more weeks and there'll be no more of that "Sir" rubbish. I can call him by his bloody Christian name." He smiled her grimly. "By the book, Bolly. That's how we're going to play this one. By the book. You going to sit in wi' me? I'm just going to ask her some questions for the minute. I don't think we've enough evidence to charge with her anything at this stage though, do you?"

She shook her head, carefully, as the room span and heaved around her. "No, I don't think we have, and no, I'm not sitting in with you either, if that's OK. I'd rather not come face to face with Carmen in this state and to honest, I think there's a good chance I'm going to throw up again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two minutes later, Alex was in the ladies loos, vomiting up all that she'd drunk earlier. When she'd finished, she leaned weakly against the cubicle door, trying to pull herself together enough to make it back to to office. She jumped as the main door was flung back with an almighty crash and a pair high-heels tapped their way angrily across the tiles.

"No, you listen to me Sharon Granger! If I have to go an' see bloody DCI Hunt, I'll do it with my face on! And if his posh bitch of a girlfriend is gonna be there too, then I definitely want to be wearing a bit of lippy. I'm not letting that stuck-up tart see me looking like shit!"

"_Stuck-up tart?_" Alex felt a surge of anger. "_Sod it," _she thought_, "I will bloody well be there._"

By sheer willpower she made back to Gene's office, taking a chair near the door in case she needed to leave quickly. Fortunately, the sickness seemed to be fading quite quickly now and she could concentrate on what was going on a little more.

Carmen and Janet arrived just after her, the Carmen looking mutinous and Janet her usual unflappably calm self. Shaz showed them both in and then left, closing the door behind her. Gene explained to Janet that she was merely present as a witness, and would she please take notes. "We're recording the conversation that we're about have wi' Miss Stubbs but I'd like you to make a note of events as well, please."

He looked up at Carmen as she stood in front of his desk, poured into a tight black skirt and white blouse. She pursed her scarlet lips sulkily as she waited for him to speak. Slowly Gene took all of the envelopes from his desk drawer and laid them out in front of her.

"I'd like you to tell me what you know about these?"

She raised her eyebrows at him mockingly. "They're bloody envelopes! What d'you want me to say? Don't tell me you've dragged me all the way down here to talk about office stationery."

Gene just looked at her calmly with narrowed eyes until she dropped her gaze, tossing her hair back over her shoulder petulantly.

"Someone left these envelopes in CID. They contained various threatening letters and evidence that was removed from a case file. I'm sure you realise how serious that is, Carmen."

She shrugged sulkily, turning her charm bracelet round and round on her wrist.

"I think that you left these envelopes here, Carmen and I want know what you have to say about it."

"You've lost it, you 'ave!" she scoffed, her face twisting with scorn. "Why would I do something like that?"

"Because your boyfriend, DI Marsh asked you to. I think he asked you to send DCI Fletcher one as well."

"Oh, don't be stupid! DCI Fletcher works at Collier Street! How could I get one into CID up there!"

"You sent in the internal mail, Carmen! We've got the envelope you used. The last name on it, before DCI Fletcher's, is the woman you sit next to." Gene was still utterly calm, watching her carefully with an unwavering gaze.

"You know what?" Carmen lent forward, putting her hands on her desk and her face closer to Gene's. "You're pathetic!" She laughed. "You got no proof! You can't prove a thing!"

Gene held her stare, not giving an inch of ground to her.

"You were seen coming out of CID at half past seven last night! There was an envelope n my desk this morning and another one in DI Drake's desk as well." He folded his arms and leaned forwards on his desk, closing the gap between them further.

Carmen took a step backwards and shrugged again. "So? You still can't prove anything, can you? If you could, we'd be having this conversation in an interview room an' you'd have charged me by now."

Gene sighed and pushed his lips up into a pout, knowing that she was right.

_Good point_ thought Alex. _Round one to her. She knows how this works and she's playing the game._

"Can I go now?" Carmen asked cockily.

"Yes you can, but don't think for one minute that this is the end of it, Carmen."

She laughed dismissively, rolling her eyes at them as she left the office. As she walked past Alex, she paused. "You all right, Ma'am. You look terrible. You sickening for something?" She gave Alex a viciously sweet smile. "I do hope so."

"Get out, Carmen!" roared Gene. "And take your vicious little mouth wi' you!"

"Well, you'd know all about wouldn't you, Sir," she taunted him, before sweeping from the room.

"God, she really is a poisonous bitch. I must have been really pissed." Gene laughed bitterly. "See what you drove me to, Bolly; drink, and women like her. Don't ever leave me again." He grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Alex arched one eyebrow at him. "I think you'll find that you left me, Gene, but point taken. I'm not going anywhere."

Janet Middelton placed the notebook she'd been writing in, carefully on his desk. "I didn't judge it necessary to put those last few remarks in the notes, DCIHunt." She gave him a very old-fashioned look.

He laughed. "What would we do without you Janet? Thanks for your help." He stood up, coming round his desk to open his office door for her. "Can you do me a favour? If she looks like she's going to leaving the Station, could you ring down here and let me know. I know it puts you in awkward position, but I wouldn't ask unless it was important."

Alex watched a faint blush rise on Janet's cheeks as Gene smiled down at her. "Of course, DCI Hunt. I'll let you know immediately." She caught Alex's eye as they left the office and grinned ruefully. "I'm making an idiot of myself, aren't I?" she whispered as Gene went back to his desk again.

She shook her head. "No, you're not." she whispered back. "He does have rather an overwhelming effect when he smiles like that."

Janet took her arm gently. "Alex, I hate to bring it up again, but are you OK? You really don't look well. You're very pale."

"I'm fine, Janet. I just had a bit of shock, earlier, that's all. Thanks for asking, though."

Alex gathered up her things from her desk, pulling on her jacket and checking that she had change for the her Tube ticket. Whatever happened next, she wouldn't be a part of it as she'd promised Gene that she'd go back to Scotland Yard. If she didn't get a move on, she'd be late for her already postponed meeting. Gene emerged from his office. "You off then, Bolly?"

"Yes. I'll see you at home. I'm not really in a drinking kind of mood today."

He came to stand next to her, his fingers curling into hers. "We'll talk about Carmen's little performance later. There's a car waiting for you downstairs. I've told Ellis to drive you over to the Yard. I don't want you on the tube by yourself. You don't look well, and I don't want to take any risks."

Alex looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes, as she leaned against him for just a second. That was her undoing; she suddenly ached to be at home with him, with no-one and nothing else to worry about but themselves. She wanted to curl up in bed with him and shut out the world, but that wasn't about to happen. Not while they both had work to do. Instead, she squeezed his hand and gave a deep sigh as she picked up her files. "Thanks. I really didn't fancy the Tube this morning."

"Just doing my job, Alex." He held the door open for her. "Take care.....please," he murmured as she went past.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gene arrived home in a foul mood that evening, cursing the inadequacies of both his DS and his DC. Carmen had disappeared without trace from a cafe at lunchtime, despite the fact that both Ray and Chris had been following her.

"How on earth did they lose her? I thought they'd got quite good at that sort of stuff?" Alex hurriedly poured him large glass of the wine that she and Tom were sharing.

"They are, until the bird they're following goes to the bloody Ladies and they're both too well-mannered to go in after her! She climbed out the sodding window. Pair of twats! They should have checked the back of the premises when she went in there."

"So we're fairly sure she's involved then?"

"Oh she's involved right up to her pretty little neck. The Super made a few calls and discovered that Eddie Marsh is as dodgy as hell. They've known about it for a while, but he's so good at what he does, they've left him to get on wi' it until they've got conclusive evidence against him. Lesser of the two evils and all that. Someone at the top has made the decision to leave him be while he's still catching criminals. They've tried watching him but he disappears for days. It's what he's been trained to do. I'll need you to chase up his files from his Army days. I want to know what they've got say about him. "

He rummaged grumpily through several cupboards until he found a packet of biscuits and ripped them open.

"Oi! Don't fill yourself up with them! You'll spoil you dinner!" Tom's voice drifted over from the front of the kitchen.

"You know for a minute there, Fletch, you sounded just like my Mam. 'Cept she would have said tea, not poncey _dinner....._and she looked better in an apron than you do." Gene stuffed another biscuit in his mouth as he spoke. "What is for dinner anyway?"

"And who's being poncey now?" teased Alex.

"Been living wi' you too long."

"Beef casserole." Tom came to sit with them. "I've been at home all afternoon, so I thought I might as well make myself useful."

Gene gave him a look. "It didn't go well with your Super, then?"

Tom sighed. "Not really. He wasn't angry or disgusted with me, but I got the definite impression that he'd really rather not have to deal with any of it. I asked him for a leave of absence and he jumped at the chance to get me out of the way."

"So what will you do now? Transfer?"

Tom nodded ruefully. "Yep. It looks that way. I don't want to, I like being with the Met, but I'm not sure there's anywhere I can go here. I'll have to look further afield."

Gene looked up at Alex, questioningly. She knew exactly what he was going to say. Without hesitation, she nodded briefly as she stood up. "I'll serve up" she murmured, stroking a hand across the back of Gene's neck as she moved past him.

"You could always come and work wi' me. If you wanted to...I need a good DCI. ...You might not want to... the CDS isn't for everyone." Gene stared firmly at the table as he spoke, running one thumbnail up and down a groove in the old, battered wood, seemingly intent on making it even more scarred.

Tom stared at Gene in amazement. "You're not serious?"

"Course I'm bloody serious! You're a good copper, Tom, and I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"What about the other stuff? You know...me, being _me......._ what I am?"

"Well, Alex isn't allowed to kiss me when we're on duty, so the same rule applies to you, Fletch." Gene grinned at him. "Doesn't matter about the other stuff. It's none of my business. So long as you don't prance about the office in a dress, then I don't care."

Alex sighed in irritation. "Gene! Tom's gay, not a transvestite! There's a huge difference, you know! You don't even have to be gay to be a tra...

"See what I have to put up wi'? Nagging at me all the time." Gene scowled in her direction. "Just get my bloody dinner on the damn table, woman!"

Alex narrowed her eyes in warning. "One more remark like that, Gene, and your bloody dinner will be in your damn lap!"

"It's boiling hot, Gene, so I wouldn't say another word if I were you," cautioned Tom. "Lexi, ignore him; he's just being all masculine, because we're talking about men in dresses."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gene cleared his plate in record time and sat back with a contented sigh. "Beef casserole. Load of nonsense. That was stew; plain and simple."

Tom clapped him on the shoulder as he got up. "Whatever you say, Guv."

"Does that mean I'm going to have the pleasure of your company in ridding our capital city of druggie scum, DCI Fletcher?"

"It does indeed, Gene, but not tonight. I've got a date."

"Anyone special?" asked Alex.

"Maybe. I'm not going to say any more in case I jinx it."

"If you get lucky, Fletcher, don't you dare bring him back here." Gene's tone was ominous, but Alex could see the smile on his face.

"He's joking." Alex assured Tom. "Off you go. Have fun."

By silent, mutual agreement, neither of them mentioned Carmen or Marsh again for the rest of the evening. They retreated to the sitting room, lighting the fire and turning on the television.

"That was nice.. what you said to Tom." Alex curled her feet up on the sofa and laid her head on Gene's lap. She felt him shrug as he stroked her hair, twisting the curls through his fingers.

"Yeah, well, I'd hate to see him transfer out the Met, and I still owe him."

"So are you really OK about him?" Alex turned to squint up at him.

"As I'll ever be, I suppose. It's my problem to deal with, not his. You and Ros have shown me that it doesn't have to get in the way of whatever else he is. He's a good copper, and he's a good bloke too."

Alex smiled softly. "What do you think Sam would say if he could hear this conversation? I think he'd be proud of you."

Gene sniffed, and gave a small wry smile. "He'd think that I was pissed....or insane.... or a combination of the two. I'm not the man that Sam knew. Not any more."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an hour or so of trying to read and getting distracted by the television programme that Gene was immersed in, Alex sat up and stretched. "I'm going to have a bath" she told him, leaning over and kissing him gently, nipping at his lower lip.

"OK," he growled. "Make sure you come back down here afterwards, though." His hand slid up under her blouse, tracing small circles over her skin, his fingers moving slowly upwards until they were brushing the curve of her breasts. He teased one nipple through the delicate lace of her bra, rolling it gently between his thumb and finger. "Better make it a shower, not a bath, Alex," he told her, roughly. "I can't wait that long."

She laughed softly. "I'll be as quick as I can."

When she returned to the sitting room, clad only in only a towel, Gene was sitting at the dining table, playing patience. He looked up at her, his face deep in shadow, the only light in the room coming from the fireplace. Alex could hear the smile in voice as he spoke.

"Perfect timing, Bolly. I was losing."

He stared at her for a long moment. "Come here," he demanded, his voice a rough whisper. She moved to stand in front of him and he tugged at the towel, dropping it on the rug, so that the soft glow of the firelight revealed contours of her body. "Beautiful," he murmured, his hands sweeping slowly across the curve of her hip, up to the soft swell of her breasts.

He leaned forward in his chair, kissing her stomach, trailing his tongue, hot and wet over her skin. Alex whimpered in delight, pushing her hands into his hair as Gene moved nearer, his mouth finding her breast, sucking gently, turning Alex's whimpers into a groan. She pulled him her closer to her, holding him onto her, feeling his fingers stroking her inner thighs, easing their way inside her; she could herself, slick and soaking as he slid them in and out, making her groan ever louder.

His mouth was moving lower now, and Alex wriggled herself backwards, hitching herself up on to the dining table. Gene growled in approval and pushed her legs wider apart, removing his fingers and replacing them with his tongue, licking softly at her heated flesh. Alex moaned, letting herself sink back slowly, stretching full length along the cold, polished table top as Gene's mouth and tongue teased her, making her writhe in ecstasy. "Oh god, Gene.... now...please."

Alex heard his belt buckle rattle and let out another moan of anticipation. She needed him, wanted him to be inside her so much, filling her completely. He stood up, pulling her against him and Alex wrapped her legs firmly round him, as he plunged into her with a grunt. "Jesus, Alex.... love the feel of you....so tight...ohhh... god."

He had to grip her hips as he pushed into her, the force of his thrusts threatening to slide her back along the table. Back arched and eyes closed, she trailed her fingers over her skin, teasing and twisting the aching peaks of her nipples as he moved in her with hard, deep strokes. She heard the raw triumph in his voice as she began to come. "Love it when you come, Alex... love that you're mine....." Alex urged her hips against him, gripping him hard with her thighs. "Tell me, Alex.... tell me you're mine." She felt herself convulse round him, the heat surging through her body as she tipped over the edge. "Yours, Gene... all yours.... always." Her voice shook with love and longing, the words wrenched from her as she came.

"All ways, Alex?" he teased, deliberately misunderstanding, watching her intently as she lay naked under his gaze, He slid himself out of her, his cock still hot and hard. He hadn't come yet and as he pulled her to her feet and turned her round, she realised what he meant. Her breath caught in her throat, and she shivered with desire, her legs threatening to give way completely.

His fingers pushed inside her again, just once, and then she felt them slipping upwards to the cheeks of her arse. "Even this way?" he asked, softly, his other hand in the small of her back, bending her forwards over the table.

Alex shuddered from head to foot, her whole body aching for him. "Yes" she whispered.

"So it wasn't just a one-off?" he purred, leaning over her, his mouth by her ear. She shook her head frantically, desperate for him. "No. Want you... Gene..." She was almost incoherent now as he parted her flesh, his wet fingers slipping inside, stretching her gently.

"You sure" he teased, stroking his other hand across her shoulders, making her body arch and shudder in exquisite frustration.

"Yes!" she gasped, and she heard him groan softly as he gripped the cheeks of her arse with both hands, pushing into her slowly and carefully. Alex moaned loudly, wordlessly, her whole body racked with intense sensation. Her hands clawed at the polished table top, finding the edge and gripping it tightly as she arched back against him. He held her still for a moment, breathing hard, his hands holding her hips fiercely. "Ohhhh Alex... that feels so good, he whispered urgently. "So... so good." She felt him tremble suddenly, his legs shuddering against hers as he surged into her. "Ohhhh....fuck... too bloody good... can't hold on..." His voice shook with agonized pleasure and he moved faster, harder, the breath ragged in his throat as he thrust in deeper.

Alex felt as though she were falling, overwhelmed by the feeling of him inside her. She wailed with pleasure as she felt herself coming for the second time, the force of her climax making her whole body spasm. She heard Gene let out a long low moan as he came, his body jerking hard against hers. He lay motionless over her back, his hands finding hers and holding on tightly.

"Christ Almighty" he whispered, shakily.

All Alex could do was nod weakly in agreement. "Good job Tom didn't choose that particular moment to arrive home," she laughed.

"Bloody hell! I forgot he was staying wi' us! Right, upstairs now, Alex."

"Why?" she asked him, teasingly, holding onto him tightly as she shuddered with aftershocks. "Give me a chance, Gene. I'm not much use for anything at the moment."

"Long hot bath" he told her succinctly with a grin. "Both of us together. Then bed.....then by that time I'll want you again, Bolly. You were right about not going drinking. This is much more fun."


	49. Chapter 49

**Many thanks to TheHuntGoesOn for the unwitting gift of a wonderful plot bunny.**

**Thanks again to everyone who reads (and those who review, too). You give me the inspiration to keep going.**

**Would be interested to know if anyone spots the parallel in this chapter. ;-) (no, not _that_ one, Womble; one of my own creating ;-))**

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"Chris, you're in the car wi' Ray, and Dave, you're wi' Ellis. Now it's important that we all know exactly where we're supposed be at the start of the raid. All exits covered, all entrances blocked by our vehicles."

Alex shifted uncomfortably in her chair and tried her best to concentrate on what Gene was saying. It was important, she knew that, but her mind just wasn't on the job. It hadn't been for at least a fortnight, even though she was back at CID for her last few weeks with them before she moved to Scotland Yard.

It was Gene's last few weeks as well, and he was pushing them all hard to close the Marsh case with a successful result. It was personal for him now, not that any of the other cases he'd ever worked on hadn't been personal too, but this was different. This was the last time that Gene would be out there himself, actually a part of it all, instead of coordinating things from behind a desk.

"You listening to me, Bolly?" Gene snapped, and Alex jumped guiltily, unsuccessfully trying to appear as though she was hanging on his every word.

"Yes, I'm listening. Carry on, Guv."

"Well it would be polite, DI Drake, if you could actually _look_ like you're at least pretending to pay attention, instead of staring out of the sodding window!"

Alex nodded mutely, stung by his rebuke. She knew that he was under a great deal of stress about the handover to the new DCI, and that he also felt guilty about leaving the rest of the team. It still didn't excuse his black moods or his sudden temper that flared up without warning over the least little thing.

What didn't help the whole situation was that Eddie Marsh had disappeared without trace, taking Carmen with him. Gene had begun a policy of pursuing all the dealers and middle-men he could find, putting them under surveillance, frightening off their buyers, arresting them for the slightest offence. He wanted to push Marsh into a reaction and hoped that by constantly hassling the dealers, he would act hastily and so make a mistake that would allow Gene to bring him down.

It was a risky line to take, but Gene was on the verge of obsession. He couldn't bear to think that Marsh might get away with what he'd done. He was Gene's own personal nightmare; a copper who'd gone so bad that he couldn't possibly be redeemed.

There had been no more envelopes since the one containing the gloves, but Alex was well aware that the threat hadn't gone away. Marsh was biding his time, and both she and Gene knew it. She wasn't allowed go out on her own these days, accompanied everywhere by either Gene, Ray or Dave Bartlett just in case ex-DI Marsh decided to play silly games.

Alex winced as the pain in her abdomen grew worse and Gene's voice became more imperious.

"Right, it's the 10th today, that gives us three days to make sure we set this up properly before we raid them. I am not having you lot looking like a bunch of twats. You'll get this right or you'll answer to me, is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, their expressions deadly serious. They all wanted to collar Eddie Marsh just as much as Gene did.

"OK. Let's go over it again."

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_10__th __March;_ Alex scribbled the date onto her notepad, doodling endless swirls of hearts and flowers and stars as she did her utmost to ignore the dull, dragging ache that was spreading across her pelvis. _10__th__ March_. Alex counted back in her head as she had done innumerable times over the last fortnight or so.

Six weeks exactly since the argument with Gene, and the fire at Tom's house. Six weeks since she and Gene had made love in the shower, and just about everywhere else in the house, she thought wryly, but more importantly than that, six weeks since she'd forgotten to take her pill for two days in row, having left them behind at her house when she'd stayed with Tom. By the time she'd realised her mistake, it was too late. She'd worried about it for a while and then tried to convince herself that it would be fine. Anyway, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She tried to reassure herself that it was only two pills that she'd missed. She'd taken the rest as normal. It would take more than that one small lapse to get pregnant, surely?

When she'd conceived Molly, it had been as a result of very drunken, forgetful sex. When she'd realised that Alistair hadn't used a condom, she'd been furious with him, and even more furious with herself for being so careless. He'd been contrite but not unduly worried, taking the view that they were married and surely they wanted to start a family, didn't they? If she didn't want kids yet, then why wasn't she on the Pill he'd argued. She'd had to explain to him, yet again, that she was taking a break from it for a while as it had made her feel so dreadful.

This time it was different; it had to be, she told herself firmly. She was on the Pill now; she'd made sure of that when she'd first got here, after the whole "Tory Wanker" fiasco. Fiddling about with condoms had very nearly put her off the whole damn thing and she'd taken herself off to her GP at the earliest opportunity.

She'd had all her usual symptoms of PMT; moodiness, chocolate cravings, sore breasts, and then..........no period. Not even a hint. She hadn't panicked at first, she just told herself that it was down to stress; but when nothing had happened after ten days, she'd really begun to worry.

Every day she'd resolved to find out if she was pregnant or not, but she knew that it would involve a doctor's appointment, and Gene was bound to find out, and then the lads had started to accompany her wherever she went, and it was all too complicated to think about; that was the excuse she used to justify it all to herself , but the truth was, she really hadn't wanted to know. It was all too much to deal with on top of the ever present threat of Marsh and his twisted little games.

She'd intended to have the conversation with Gene that she'd started with Tom; the one where she told him that she'd changed her mind about what she wanted from life, but the chance had never arisen. He was so focused on both Marsh, and his impending move to the Drugs Squad that he couldn't really think of anything else, and then his moods had taken a turn for the worse and it had become impossible for Alex to even try and broach the subject.

She'd wanted to talk to him about marriage and children in an abstract, theoretical way, not present him with a fait accompli. She could just picture his face if she'd marched up to him and told him that not only did she want to get married, but that she was knocked up as well. It wouldn't be fair to him. Gene had told her what he wanted from their relationship and she'd agreed with him. She couldn't just suddenly change the rules because she'd been stupid.

The stark truth was that she was afraid of his reaction; she didn't want to face the fact that he really didn't want children. He'd have stood by her, she knew that; his sense of honour wouldn't have allowed him to do anything else, but he'd have done it not because he wanted a family, but because he'd been backed into a corner and Alex couldn't contemplate doing something like that to him.

The pain suddenly increased sharply and Alex bit her lip in an effort not to cry out. It was as if someone was scraping viciously at her insides; this was nothing like any period she'd ever experienced before. She'd never let herself consider what she was going to do if she was pregnant; hadn't even known where to start with that particular scenario, instead just carrying on, and pretending that everything was OK, even when she'd thrown up so spectacularly in CID the other morning. She'd had to admit to herself then that it was more than likely that she was pregnant but she'd still delayed finding out for certain. It's early yet, she'd rationalised, no need to panic, anything could happen.

And now it would seem that something _was_ happening. She was either getting her period or miscarrying; the knowledge of either possibility filled her with a raw, agonising mix of both relief and loss. She tried to convince herself that she was just starting a particularly heavy period, but in her heart she knew the soul-destroying truth. She was losing Gene's baby.

Unable to stand the pain any longer, she made a grab for her bag in the bottom drawer of her desk and left the room hurriedly, trying not to clutch at her stomach as she went. She just made it into the ladies loos before the pain became too severe for her to stand.

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Lord knows how long she'd been in there, sat hunched over in pain, trying in vain to ease the cramps that racked her lower body, all the while sobbing with silent grief. The pain had eased slightly with the last few minutes and she was attempting to wipe away her tears without smudging her make-up too badly. The last thing she needed was anyone seeing that she'd been crying. She was searching her bag for her compact mirror when she heard the main door slowly open.

"Ma'am?" Shaz worried voice echoed in the silence. "Are you OK?"

Alex rested her head in her hands. She really, really didn't want to talk to anyone. She kept quiet and heard Shaz walk past the door of the cubicle.

"Ma'am?" she paused and returned to stand outside the door. Alex heard a gentle knock. "I just need to know if you're OK. The Guv wants to know where you are. He's not very happy that you've disappeared."

Alex shook her head in silent despair. That was all she needed; Gene on the warpath.

"I'm fine, Shaz," she whispered hoarsely, dabbing frantically at her eyes. "Please…just leave me alone. Tell Gene I'll be back in a minute or two."

"OK, Ma'am. As long as you're sure." Shaz's tone was doubtful and Alex blinked back fresh tears as she listened to her footsteps fading away.

Slowly, very slowly, she stood up, doing her best to ignore both how much blood there was, and the incessant, nagging pain. She'd just about managed to get herself sorted out and presentable enough to and go tell Gene that she needed to go home, when a fist hammered violently on the outer door.

"Alex!" Gene's furious roar rang out down the corridor. "Are you still in there? What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at!"

Alex closed her eyes, trying to find the strength shout back. She unbolted the cubicle door and went to wash her hands.

"I'm fine! Go away, Gene…please!" she called, hoping she didn't sound as weak as she felt. She rinsed away the soap and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser.

"No! I won't sodding well go away!" The door burst open and he stood there; scowling indignantly, filling the whole of the doorway with his tall frame. "What's going on?" he asked forcefully, before peering at her in concern. "Jesus, Alex, you look bloody dreadful! Are you ill?"

She caught sight of her reflection, made even worse by the harsh strip lighting and her heart sank. She was grey with the pain, her face drawn and hollow-eyed. Despite her efforts, her eye-make up was beyond repair.

"No, I'm not ill. I'm OK…give me a minute. I just feel a bit weird," she lied.

Gene glared, his eyes glittering dangerously, instantly losing his patience with her.

"No, I will not give you a minute, Alex! I am in the middle of a sodding briefing! You can't just go waltzing off without good reason!"

Behind him stood two wide-eyed WPC's, frozen in terror by the anger that emanated from him. One of them said something, her voice emerging as a frightened squeak. He spun round, and roared at them, furiously. "No, you cannot use the bog! DI Drake and I are in the middle of something..... Piss off!"

He turned back to her. "Well?.... I'm waiting, Drake!" he fumed, impatiently.

_Why couldn't he just leave her alone? More importantly, why couldn't he see that she was on the verge of falling to pieces._ Alex bit her lip in an effort not to shout or burst into tears again. She was close to doing both and she had no idea which emotion would triumph. She answered him in a shaky voice.

"I told you, I'm fine, Gene." She gave a slight sarcastic sneer as she said his name, letting her anger rise instead of her sorrow. It was easier to be angry; it was something to hide behind.

He shook his head disbelief. "Are you feeling rough from lunchtime?" he demanded, accusingly. "Because if you are, then that's bloody unprofessional, Alex! I've warned you about drinking wi' Fletch before. Just because he's on leave, doesn't mean that you can behave as if you are too."

Alex lost the battle to keep her temper. _How bloody dare he stand there and preach to __her! He had no fucking idea what was going on! None at all!_

"I am _not_ drunk, Gene!" she told him, in low undertone, not knowing who else was outside in the corridor. "I had to sort something out. I was late, and now I'm not, OK?....Good enough reason?.... Happy now?" The bitterly sarcastic tone of her voice increased and Alex embraced it, finding strength in pure nastiness.

He stared at her in incomprehension. "You're _what_?..... What do you mean _late_"?

Alex sighed despairingly. Typical bloody Gene. Like many men of his generation and background, he may have been experienced with women, but there were still whole aspects of female biology and terminology that he remained totally ignorant of. Clearly, she would have to spell it out for him. She began to speak, trying to calm down and be more reasonable, but he'd already carried on talking.

"If you're just going to stand there and talk bollocks, Alex, then I'm going to have to assume you're pissed. You know you can't hold your drink when you start at lunchtime."

As the patronising tone of his voice registered, Alex exploded with fury; all the fear and the worry that she'd kept to herself over the recent weeks condensing into pure, boiling rage, and suddenly all she wanted to do was hurt him, to make him feel as much pain as she did at that moment.

"Oh for God's sake!" she shouted at him, past caring if anyone heard her. "I was _late_! My period was late! By 4 bloody weeks!....... I was almost certainly pregnant, but now, I'm not! Now, I'm bleeding heavily, and it _fucking_ hurts!........ I'm _not_ drunk,... I'm _not_ ill; I'm miscarrying, Gene!...... Now do you understand what the fuck I'm talking about!"

He stood there, frozen into shocked immobility, his hand gripping the door handle so tightly that Alex could see his knuckles turning white. Finally he moved, shutting the door and leaning against it as he spoke, his voice hesitant at first as if he couldn't quite believe what she'd said.

"What do you mean _almost certainly_?....... Don't you know? Why didn't you go and see the bloody doctor? Get a test, or what ever the hell you have to do! Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you'd done that!"

His tone increased both in volume and in anger as he spoke, his face twisted with incredulous fury .

"No, I didn't go and get a bloody test!" she shrieked back at him defensively.

"Well why the hell not!" His roar hurt Alex's ears it was so loud. "And more to the point, Alex, why the sodding _HELL_ didn't you tell _ME_!" He was apoplectic with rage now, looming over her, fists clenched.

She faced up to him, taking refuge in open confrontation, screaming at him furiously.

"I didn't get a test because I didn't want to know if I was pregnant or not! And I didn't tell you because you have made it crystal clear on numerous occasions that you don't want children! And if I _had_ got a test, and it _had_ been positive, then I'd have had to talk to you about it and I couldn't face doing that!"

Alex broke off, her breath heaving painfully in her chest, digging her nails hard into her palms to stop the tears.

They stared at each other, their angry words hanging in the silence between them.

"Why couldn't you talk to me, Alex?" he asked her quietly, his face expressionless.

She took a deep breath and admitted the truth.

"Because I was scared of losing you," she whispered brokenly. "Anyway, it's all irrelevant now," she told him, shrugging helplessly, feeling the sorrow catch in her throat. "It's over."

She watched him as he took in what she'd just said, still leaning against the door, his face set and guarded. She realised with a stab of despair that she had no idea what he was thinking. He was closed to her; the mask he'd worn when she'd first met him firmly in place once more. He ran one hand through his hair, and stared at his feet awkwardly, unable to meet her eyes, at a total loss as to how to deal with all that she'd told him.

Finally he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets and turning his mouth down into a dismissive grimace. "Yeh, well.. what's done is done. No use crying over split milk." He snorted mirthlessly. "Christ, that's a stupid thing to say."

Alex couldn't believe what he'd just said; that he'd offered her no words of comfort or regret. He hadn't even put his arms around her. He was just standing there as if nothing important had happened. She didn't really know what she'd expected from him, but it had been a lot more than some silly, meaningless little phrase

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" she hissed, suddenly hating him for his apparent dismissal of the situation. "Thank you so much for your stunningly insightful comments on the matter. Now, do you have any other little sayings that you'd like to trot out, because if not, I'd like you to leave now please." The pain knifed into her again and she realised that she really did need him to go.

"Alex! Don't be like that. I don't want to leave you on your own." His voice was broken and he took a step towards her but it was too little, too late as far as she was concerned.

She could feel the grief for what might have been threatening to overwhelm her at any minute. She desperately wanted him to hold her in his arms, and make everything OK as he always did, but she couldn't tell him that; couldn't forgive him for appearing to be so unmoved by it all. She drew herself up to her full height despite the clawing pain, speaking with icy calm, the vicious little sentence falling from her mouth before she could stop it.

"Well, I don't want you here, Gene, so just sod off back to your briefing."

She saw him step back sharply as though she'd slapped him, his head jerking up in shock. The blood drained from his face and he closed his eyes tightly, just for an instant, as if he were in great pain.

He let out a trembling breath and held out both hands, palms outwards, warding her off.

"Fine. Whatever you want, Alex." His voice was unsteady but the venom in it was crystal clear. "Just tell me one thing. Were you ever going to tell me, or were you just going to sort it all out by yourself? Quick little visit to the hospital to get rid of it, and wham! It's all over. Problem solved."

Alex stared at him in horror, unable to find the words to answer him.

Gen shook his head in disgust, mistaking her silence for confirmation of his question.

"Thought so." He wrenched the door back on its hinges and stalked from the room.

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Alex left the station as soon as she could, taking a taxi home. She showered immediately when she got in, then made herself up a hot-water bottle to take to bed with her. Rummaging through the bathroom cabinet, she found the bottle of sleeping pills that she'd been given after she'd been attacked and took one of them, gulping it down thankfully, along with a couple of painkillers. She needed to sleep, to escape from her thoughts for a few hours. She knew that she should really go and see a doctor, perhaps even go to hospital for a check-up but she couldn't face it. All she wanted was to go to bed and shut out the world.

She curled herself round the comforting warmth of the hot-water bottle and replayed the confrontation with Gene in her mind, despite her repeated attempts to think of something else. How could he have said such a terrible thing? What kind of person did he think she was that she would abort his child without telling him?

Reluctantly she thought back over what she'd told him; that she hadn't wanted to have Molly, that she didn't want any more children. _Well_,_ look at it from his point of view_, she chided herself, _what did you expect him to think? You've given him the impression that the last thing on earth you want is a baby. You can hardly blame him for jumping to conclusions. _

She remembered Ray telling her about Lizzie, on Christmas morning, and she began to cry again; shedding tears not only for herself, but for Gene and the dark secret that he carried in his heart, and for their child that was now lost forever.

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She woke in darkness and lay there, hunched up on her side, her eyes still stinging from her earlier tears. She couldn't hear any noise from downstairs so it would appear that Gene hadn't returned home. There were voices outside, however. She lay there, listening disinterestedly, not really paying any attention until she recognised Gene's drunken slur.

Getting out of bed with painful slowness, she made her way over to the window and looked out onto the street below. Gene was sitting on the steps of the house, with Tom leaning on the railings next to him, cigarette in hand. She opened the window just a little, afraid that the sash would squeak if she pushed it up too far, and listened to their voices, clearer now in the cold night air.

"Really Gene. Just go and talk to her. It's gone half eleven. You can't stay out here all night."

"She doesn' wanna talk."

Alex realised with a sinking heart that he was very drunk.

"Wha' 'm I s'posed to do, Tom? You tell me, wha' should I do?"

"I can't tell you anything. It's Lexi you need to be saying all this to." Tom patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. Where are your keys?"

"You've got 'em. You live 'ere, too."

"I moved out last week, Gene. My house is finished, remember?"

"Oh yeh…. Now I do….. your new bloke finished all the 'lectrics." Gene peered at him. "Luke..tha's his name, right?" He paused for a minute as Tom moved closer to him. "Wha' you doing? You'd better not be coping a feel, Fletch, 'cos if you are, I'll 'ave to lump you one."

She heard Tom laugh. "You can hardly stand up, let alone fight..... Yes.....he's called Luke…. and I'm trying to find your bloody door keys, not molest you." Tom fished in Gene's jacket pockets. "Here they are. Now just get up and go inside."

Gene stood up, but instead of going up the steps, he clutched at Tom's arm. "How do I tell her? 'bout what I did…. She'll hate me, Fletch…I know she will…"

"Gene.....Gene? Look at me!" Tom grabbed him as he began to slip off the steps and turned Gene to face him. Holding one of his shoulders in a fierce grip, Tom took hold of his chin, forcing it up until Gene looked at him.

Christ he must be out of skull with drink if he's letting Tom get that close to him, thought Alex. He was far better with Tom than she'd ever dared hope, but close physical contact still made him edgy unless his instincts were softened by alcohol.

"Now you listen to me." Tom ordered him. "Alex loves you; plain and simple. You know that. Whatever it is that you have to tell her, she'll be OK with it....... I promise. She loves you, Gene. That's all you have to remember."

"I _know_ she loves me!" Gene wrenched himself from Tom's grasp, pulling his coat round him protectively. "She doesn' need me though. Doesn' wan' anythin' from me..... Doesn' wanna talk..... doesn' wanna get married… doesn' wan' kids. I asked her 'bout it, an' she said no…No to bein' married! No to 'avin' kids!……An' now she tells me she was pregnan'. Wha' 'm I meant say? I don' wha' the right answer is!"

She saw his shoulders slump in despair and her heart twisted with remorse. What had she done? She hadn't wanted to hurt him this badly, but he'd been too busy, too unapproachable, far too sure of what he didn't want.

She watched as he drew himself up again, his voice changing from despair to anger in a heartbeat. "She's too inde-bloody-pendent to need anythin' from the Gene Genie!......'m jus' good enough to be in her bed, thas' all....... Not good enough to be a husban' or anythin' else!" He jabbed Tom in the chest hard with his outstretched hand. "So you tell me… wha' 'm I s'posed to do, 'cos I don't know 'ny more."

"Gene; just go to bed, mate. You've had too much to drink. Go and sleep it off and things might look a bit better in the morning."

Gene nodded, swaying drunkenly as he did so. "You're righ'…. I c'n always rely on you, Fletch…. 'm goin' inside."

Gene stumbled up the steps as Tom unlocked the front door. Alex made her way out on to the landing and watched silently from the shadows as Gene shut the front door behind him, muttering darkly to himself as he tried to take his coat off.

"Doesn' wan me…I wan' her…. I love her…gonna show how much… all for her." He abandoned his coat in a heap in the middle of the floor and lurched towards the sitting room. As he did so, he looked up and caught sight of her. He shook his head wearily as she took a step forwards and began to speak. "Not now, Alex…. not now....... no talkin'….. jus' listenin'." The sitting room door banged firmly shut and she heard the key click in the lock.

She went downstairs and stood outside, not knowing what to do, listening to him still muttering unintelligibly as he moved about the room. She heard a click and a static hiss and then a painfully amplified squeal as the needle of the record player slipped.

"Fuck" he said clearly. "Concentrate...... 'smportant...need to get it right, she needs to know," he berated himself as the the music begin to play, the familiar intro spilling through the door.

"_Loneliness….. is my only friend...._" Scot Walker echoed in the silent hall and the volume steadily increased until Alex could no longer hear Gene's voice.

She went back upstairs, fetched his dressing gown from the back of the bedroom door, and found a pair of thick socks to stop her feet from freezing. Walking carefully, still hurting, she made her way down to the kitchen and took some more painkillers. Then, armed with a mug of tea, she sat down on the bottom of the hall stairs to wait for Gene to open the door.

She'd learned that when Gene drunkenly decided to play music, there was no telling what he'd come up with. The clues to his state of mind were in the tracks that he chose. She knew what he was doing now; he couldn't talk to her and so he was trying to convey all his feelings to her in song.

The Walker Brothers were followed by Pasty Cline's heartbroken voice and the liquid piano notes of "_Crazy_", and then there was a brief silence before the edgy, jangling guitars of "_Rebel, Rebel_" kicked in, making Alex jump. _This could go on all bloody night_, she thought, her head as well as her body now aching with exhaustion. "_The Jean Genie_" was next up, making her smile sadly as she heard him roaring out the chorus. He was obviously going through both his and Sam's record collection. The strident arrogance of David Bowie faded away and into the stillness came the warm, chocolaty voice of Perry Como.

She closed her eyes in disbelief. Christ, Gene had terrible taste in music. Where had he dredged this up from? "_And I Love You So_"? Why the hell was he playing that?

"_I guess they understand......How lonely life has been..... But life began again.... The day you took my hand_."

The lyrics registered in her mind and she felt the tears start in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand as the hopelessly corny song filled the house. When it ended, she sat with her hands round her knees and waited to see what he would play next.

The was a long, silence and she began to wonder if he'd fallen asleep. As she moved to go and listen at the door, another track crashed into life and she winced as The Buzzcocks "_Ever Fallen in Love_" assaulted her ears at full volume for a minute or two before the needle ripped across the record, and she heard him scold himself in sorrowful rebuke. "No. Tha's Sam's… no more Sam…he's not here 'ny more."

After a brief pause, the speakers crackled into life again and one of the most famous singing voices in the world crooned out of them. "_Maybe I didn't treat you, quite as good as I should have_…" Alex put her head on her knees and laughed weakly, despite her sorrow. The man was behaving like a walking, talking cliché, but God how she loved him.

Gene only played Elvis when he was in his most extreme moods; hugely happy or monumentally depressed. There was no in-between for him when it came to listening to The King. The record faded away and once again there was silence for a long while. Unable to bear it any longer, she crept nearer the door and knocked on it tentatively.

"Gene?... unlock the door…please?"

She heard his footsteps coming unsteadily across the room until he was standing on the other side of the door. "Go 'way, Alex….leave me be," he growled. The pain in his voice was palpable.

She leaned her forehead against the wooden panel, gathering the courage to tell him how she felt.

"I'll go away in a minute. I just need to say this..... I'd never have got rid of it, Gene. I couldn't have done that; not even if you'd left me.......I couldn't kill something that we'd made together." She began to cry again, pressing her palms against the door as if she could touch him through the wood. "I'm sorry" she sobbed.

There was nothing for a long while, although she knew he was still there, leaning against the door, as she was. She heard him sniff and clear his throat. "Sorry you got pregnant, or sorry you lost it?" he asked, gruffly.

"Both." She moved away, leaning against the wall for a moment, before letting herself slide down slowly onto the hall floor, where she sat, huddled up against the cold, prepared to wait for as long as it took.

"'m playin' this stuff for you, Alex.... I mean it....all of it. Just listen an' leave me be..." he croaked hoarsely and she heard him move away again.

The simple guitar chords fell softly into the stillness, as the deep, velvet voice sang "Love Me Tender". Alex sat perfectly still and listened as Gene poured out his heart to her using another man's voice. "...._You have made my life complete...._"

The music fell silent and there was no more. He said nothing further, either. He'd made it clear that he wanted her to leave him alone and it would seem that he really meant it. Eventually, Alex returned to the cold comfort of their bed, defeated by the ache in her stomach and the draughtiness of the hall. Only when the the alarm clock had clicked its way past three am, did she creep back downstairs, still wrapped in his dressing gown. The sitting room door was unlocked once more and she opened it slowly, afraid that he might order her to go away again.

He was on the sofa, asleep, one arm flung out over the edge, his long fingers brushing the floor. Silently, Alex approached him and stood looking down at him, his face illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the uncurtained window.

She pulled the woollen throw carefully from the back of the sofa and hesitated just for an instant before easing herself down alongside him. She covered them both with the blanket as best she could and wrapped his arm over her, threading her fingers through his. He sighed softly in his sleep and pulled her closer to him, but he didn't wake. Alex lay there quietly, staring at the moonlit shadows on the wall until they faded in the dawnlight.


	50. Chapter 50

**Postman's Park (and its porcelain plaques) and the Viaduct Tavern (it used to be one of my locals after work) really do exist. St Ethelreda's is also real; stunningly beautiful and loaded with history, it's one of my favourite London buildings. I used to eat lunch there every day in the Cloister cafe when I worked in Clerkenwell. You can find them all on Google. **

**N.B. - for those of you who haven't read it, I've written a three chapter stand-alone fic about Gene, Lillian & Lizzie, which explains more about the whole episode. It's called "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes me Cry."**

**If you haven't read it, no worries, it's not essential to the understanding of this chapter. **

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"So how do I look?" Gene asked gruffly, presenting himself for Alex's inspection. She considered him carefully for a moment; black suit, crisp white shirt, gun-metal grey tie.

"Respectable" she told him solemnly, straightening his tie just a fraction. "The very image of how a proper Godfather should look."

"Don't tease me, Alex." he said quietly. "I've never done this before and I want to get it right." His eyes were dark with worry and she took his hand in hers.

"I'm not teasing. You look perfect, Gene. You'll be fine." Leaning forward, she kissed him gently on the cheek, before picking up his car keys from the hall table and handing them to him. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

It was nearly April and London in the spring sunshine was perfect; the trees covered with a fine, bright green haze of buds, the sky a gloriously sharp blue and the Sunday morning streets almost empty of traffic.

Alex watched him as he drove, free to stare at him as he concentrated on the road ahead; eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun, even though he wore his sunglasses, and mouth set firm in a grimly determined line as he tried to keep his nerves to himself. She loved the way his hands gripped the wheel, steering them confidently through Clerkenwell and past Smithfield Market, the Audi whipping through the empty streets at speed, the engine roaring as he changed gear to negotiate a corner.

As they reached Holborn Circus, he reached out his hand and ran it absently along her leg, pushing up her skirt so that his palm could lay against the silkiness of her inner thigh. He flashed her a quick smile before turning his attention back to the traffic that had suddenly built up.

By a stroke of luck, Gene managed to find a parking space in Ely Place itself and they walked hand-in-hand across the road to St Ethelreda's. As they reached the door of the medieval cloisters, Alex paused to check her reflection in her compact mirror.

"You look perfect, too." Gene murmured, taking her elbow as they made their way up the worn stone stairs into the church itself. "Stop worrying."

Alex, uninspired by most of the fashions on offer in the usual High Street stores, had wanted something that was both smart and stylish. Having spent a fruitless day trawling round Oxford Street and the West End, she'd paid a visit to Camden market and searched through the contents of its numerous vintage clothing stalls. What she'd eventually settled on was an original Mary Quant, long-sleeved mini dress in black wool with a cream Peter Pan collar. It had been expensive but Alex had been unable to resist it.

She'd added cream shoes and a small clutch bag to match, and had blow-dried her hair straight, pinning it into an sleek chignon at the nape of her neck. When she'd examined her reflection in the mirror she'd been immensely pleased with the result and the look of approving lust on Gene's face had been delightful to observe, but that said, she was still a little nervous about going to the Bartlett's christening in something quite so short. For the first time since she'd been with Gene, she'd refused to wear stockings, telling him that they were positively indecent with a skirt that high and opting for a pair of sheer tights instead. He'd conceded the point to her, although only after he'd made her promise that she would wear the dress with stockings for him at home on some other occasion.

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Dave had saved them a space in a pew at the front and Alex made her way there, smiling a greeting to the rest of the team who all looked very scrubbed up and out of place in such distinguished surroundings. Dave and Susan Bartlett lived in Highbury these days, but Sue had been brought up above a stationers shop in on Fetter Lane and St Ethelreda's, the oldest Catholic church in London, was still her family church and the place where all of other her children had been baptised.

Alex sat down thankfully, next to Gene, glad to take the weight off her vertiginous heels, gazing up at the huge stained glass windows and losing herself in the mingled aromas of the church; the lilies by the altar, incense & beeswax, and the musty, all-pervading aroma of ancient stonework. She felt a sense of peace steal over her and she suddenly knew with a conviction so strong that it was almost tangible, that nothing else mattered but the man who sat beside her, fiddling nervously with his cuff-links as he waited for the service to begin.

Her introspection didn't last for long though, as the three eldest of the Bartlett children scrambled into the pew with them, eager to renew their acquaintance. As Jack wriggled his way into the space between them, Emma clambered up onto Gene's lap and Kathy began to do the same with Alex. Gene shot her a swift look of concern and lent down to speak quietly in the little girl's ear.

"Kathy, why don't you sit on my lap as well? You can have my other knee." He jiggled Emma sideways making her giggle. "Look, there's plenty of room."

Kathy shook her head. "I want to sit with Alex," she whispered back, her face stubborn. "I like Alex."

"Well, Alex hasn't been feeling very well lately, sweetheart. I think it would be better if you sat wi' me…." He broke off as Alex put her hand on his arm.

"It's OK, Gene….honestly… I'm fine, really." She scooped Kathy up into her arms. "Come on, Kathy Cat, make me feel better with your lovely smile."

Kathy twisted round to look at her solemnly. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, her dark eyes gazing into Alex's. "Were you sick?"

Alex shook her head. "No I wasn't sick." She was aware of Gene watching her closely. "I had a bad tummy ache and it made me sad for a while, that's all. It's OK now though. Gene's helping me to feel better."

She felt him reach out and slide his fingers into hers, squeezing them tightly as he started to say something to her, but as he did so, the Priest made his way down to the front of Church, and the baptism got under way.

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Gene needn't have been so worried as everything went smoothly. Alex watched with pride as he remembered when to speak, clearly trying not to scowl ferociously as he did so, and the baby himself didn't utter a sound, not even when the Priest poured the water over his forehead.

She rested her cheek against Kathy's dark head, one arm around Emma, and let her mind drift back over the last two weeks. Strangely, although there had been sorrow and an enormous sense of loss, she'd also found an oddly peaceful happiness. It seemed a ridiculous thing to say, given that she'd lost a baby, but Gene had been there, looking after her and although they hadn't sorted everything out yet, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that they would soon. Her faith in him was unshakable. He was different somehow; subdued by what had happened, but more far more loving than she'd ever thought he would be. She could still recall his astonished face as he'd woken up with her in his arms on the sitting room sofa. He'd held her tightly, unable to speak, his face buried in her hair.

"I'm sorry, Alex," he'd finally managed to whisper. "I didn't know what to do."

"Nor did I" she'd replied softly, and she'd taken his face in her hands and kissed him; his eyes, his cheekbones, the line of his jaw, clenched tightly against her touch at first, but relaxing slowly as she'd found his mouth with hers. They had lain there for what seemed to be an age, just holding each other, kissing slowly and softly, before he'd gone to make her breakfast.

He'd insisted that she go to hospital to check that she was OK, driving her there himself and sitting with her in the waiting room instead of lurking about outside smoking, as he usually did when faced with anything medical. He'd even been fine with the news that they weren't allowed to have sex until she'd healed properly. He'd just shrugged philosophically as she'd told him.

"Well, I think I can cope wi' that. I can always sort myself, Alex. Just remember to knock before you open the bathroom door." He'd grinned at her as he'd helped her back into the car and driven her home. As he'd left for work, after making sure that she had everything she needed, he'd stopped at the sitting room door, rubbing a hand through his hair, clearly awkward but still determined to do the right thing.

"I know we have to talk about this, but I need to get things straight in my own mind first. I promise I'm not going to run away from it........just trust me."

Alex had nodded, filled with an overwhelming sense of relief. "OK" she'd told him, giving him a reassuring smile.

They still hadn't properly talked though, instead concentrating on just getting through it one day at a time. It was if they both knew that the whole situation was a major turning point their relationship. They were being unusually gentle with each other, realised Alex, finding comfort in the fact that they were still together. No more shouting, no more drama; just the two of them, taking care of each other as they tried to come to terms with what had happened.

Alex was happy to let Gene work things out in his own time. He'd told her more about Lillian and the all-consuming grief that had overwhelmed her when she'd failed to become pregnant again; how it had gradually turned her into a shadow of the woman he'd married, irreparably damaging their relationship. She knew that he'd been unfaithful to Lillian, but he'd always led her to believe it was through sheer boredom. Now she understood why he'd felt the need to sleep with other women. It still didn't excuse his behaviour, though and for all his honesty about his past mistakes, the one subject he'd still said nothing about was Lizzie.

She hadn't pushed him, knowing that he'd just clam up if she did. On a couple of occasions she'd thought that he'd been going to tell her as they'd lain in bed, his arms holding her tightly to him, one long leg wrapped over hers, but each time he'd stopped before he'd even managed to get more than a few words out.

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After the baptism was over, they all adjourned to the Viaduct Tavern on the corner of Newgate Street. City pubs were never usually open at the weekend but Sue's brother-in-law was the Landlord and so it was the perfect place for the christening party.

Gene was familiar with it, given its proximity to the Old Bailey, but Alex had never been inside before. She gazed around her in delight at the décor; an original Victorian gin palace, all huge mirrors and etched glass. Everywhere she looked was a riot of carved wood or marble, with the crowning glory being a wondrously huge mahogany bar.

Gene smiled approvingly. "Proper pub," was all he said as he marched up to bar and ordered the first round for them all.

Between them, Dave and Sue seemed to have dozens and dozens of relations, the majority of whom all seemed to have small children. Sue had booked a magician to entertain them and he was all set to conduct a magic show in the function room upstairs after everyone had tucked in to the mountains of food that her sisters had provided.

"No wonder Dave's so good with children." remarked Alex , as she and Sue wound their way through a mass of over-excited youngsters towards the table that Gene had commandeered for the use of the CID team.

Sue laughed in agreement as she took a seat next to Ray and Angela, effortlessly shifting Sarah, her second youngest, from her hip, to her lap as she did so. "He's had to get used it. With five siblings on my side and four on his, there was always going to be kids around the place. Funny thing is, he never wanted any when I first met him. His dad was such a bloody waste of space, he didn't want to make the same mistake."

Alex took a sip of her wine and carefully avoided looking in Gene's direction. "So what made him change his mind?"

"He got me up the duff!" Sue cackled, and gave Alex a broad wink. "Had to change his mind pretty damn quick then! Now look at him! He wouldn't be without any of the little beggars." She grinned over at her husband who was proudly showing his baby son to Shaz and Chris. "Oi, Davie! Bring him over here a minute!"

Dave excused himself and made his way over to his wife. "Here, hang on to Sarah for me, will you?" she asked Angela, and swung the little girl over onto her knee. "There you go, poppet. You sit with Auntie Angie." Sue turned back to Dave, who'd managed to negotiate his way through the mass of guests, getting to her feet as she did so.

"Right then; stand up, Mr Hunt," she ordered with a good-natured bossiness that left no room for dissent, and Gene, programmed from an early age by his Mam to obey a particular female tone, was on his feet before he'd even had time think.

"What we need is a photo of Stuart with his Godfather" Sue announced. "Hold out your arms."

Gene looked suddenly horrified, realising just a moment too late what she was about to do. "No..... Sue….. don't...I can't!... I've never held…."

"Rubbish!" she declared firmly, refusing to be deterred, as Dave winced at the way his wife addressed his Governor. "It's easy! Look.....you just do it like this."

She scooped the sleeping baby up with one hand and leaned in towards Gene's chest. Instinctively, his hands came up to catch the seemingly precarious bundle, and before he knew it, Sue had deposited her son in his arms and stepped back, laughing at Gene's petrified expression.

"There you go!... Don't worry, he won't puke on you," she added with a wink.

Alex sat, frozen still, her eyes drinking in the heartbreaking sight of Gene cradling a baby in his arms. She felt light headed and dizzy, almost as though someone had punched her in the stomach, struggling for breath as her chest tightened painfully and tears started behind her eyes. She took a huge gulp of her drink and then put it down abruptly, afraid that she'd spill it, her hands trembling at such an unexpected sight.

It was beautiful. _He_ was beautiful; strong and tall, and so instantly protective, despite his obvious discomfort. She suddenly ached for a child with every single fibre of her being. The desire was so fierce that she felt her heart twist with painful longing as Sue laughed in delight and Dave quickly took photographs to record the occasion.

It was Ray who noticed Gene's reaction. He tapped Alex on the shoulder and nodded in his direction. "I think the Guv could do wi' a bit of help, Boss," he murmured in a gentle undertone.

Alex dragged her eyes from the peacefully sleeping baby and looked up at Gene's face. He was gazing at his godson in wonder, his jaw clenched so tightly that Alex could see a muscle jumping in his cheek. He looked over at her, his eyes dark and smoky and she saw him swallow painfully. As they stared at each other, unable to even speak, let alone move, Alex could quite clearly read the emotions that chased across his unguarded face; regret... fear.... longing..... love.

Seeing that they were both lost in their own private world, Ray reached out carefully and took the baby from Gene, tucking the sleeping child confidently into the crook of his arm. He smiled sheepishly as Alex blinked in surprise at his apparent expertise.

"My sisters all breed like bloody rabbits" he told her. "I'm good wi' babies." He glanced over at Gene who was still standing motionless, his hands curled into fits, his gaze far away. "Take 'im for a walk, Boss. He needs to get 'is head straight again." Ray turned to Dave and began to talk to him about football, fortunately completely missing the broody looks that Angela was giving him.

Tentatively, Alex took Gene's hand. He was so far away from her that she was afraid that she'd startle him. "I think you need some fresh air" she said softly and he gave her a hesitant nod, still lost in own painful thoughts. She steered him through the chattering crowd, and outside onto the pavement, where he lent against the wall, head down, eyes closed. He gripped the back of his neck with one hand and let out a painful breath.

"Walk?" he asked eventually, squinting up at her, and she nodded.

"OK."

He grabbed her hand and strode off up Newgate Street, towing her along in his wake. Alex struggled to keep with him in her new heels, praying that wherever they were going, it wasn't that far. Gene turned off into a side street and after a minute, ducked through a pair of wrought iron gates into a small park. It was the old graveyard of the church beside it, the gravestones now mostly cleared from the grass and placed around the high, enclosing brick walls.

He made for a low wooden veranda with benches inside, sitting down silently on the nearest one. Alex said nothing, knowing that he'd talk when he was ready. As she watched, he took out his cigar case and began turning it over and over in his hands, staring at it blindly. The wall behind the benches was covered in small porcelain plaques and, as she waited for Gene to regain his composure, Alex steped closer and began to read. Each one of them was dedicated to an ordinary man, woman or child who'd risked their own lives to try and save others. Some of them had died in the attempt and she read the stiffly formal Victorian prose that told their stories with respectful sorrow.

"It's called Postman's Park." Gene told her quietly, still staring at the case in his hands. "I found it one day when I came to see a snout." He smiled wryly. "Ironic really, meeting some nasty little scrote, wi' all these around me." He jerked his head towards the plaques. "I like here it though; it reminds me that not everyone on this earth is a piece of scum. Some people still do the decent thing."

Alex knew that he hadn't brought her here to talk about unsung heroes. She sat down next to him, waiting for him to find the courage to say what he really wanted to.

"Alex, I have to tell... I need to... _Christ Almighty,_" he muttered to himself."I _want_ to tell you…" He broke off again, rubbing a hand across his face in frustration.

"About Lizzie?" she finished for him, gently, knowing that it was finally OK to say it.

"Yes.......Jesus Christ, how the hell did you know about her?" he asked in horrified surprise, just seconds before he worked out the answer. "Carling! Ray, bloody Carling, and that big fat gob of his. I'll bloody kill him! ........How long have you known?"

"Since Christmas," she admitted. "Ray was talking about you and me having children and it all came out before he could stop himself. He made me promise not to tell you."

Gene frowned, glancing at her quickly as if he were afraid of what he might see in her face. "So you've know all that time and it doesn't bother you? It doesn't worry you that I was cheating bastard? That I did what I did?"

She shook her head. "No. It doesn't. It was a long time ago, and we all make mistakes, do things that we regret."

"Oh, I made a mistake, all right, Alex. I fucked up it big time." She could hear the self-loathing in his tone.

"I know you did. It's OK to tell me about it, Gene. Maybe if you share it with me, it won't hurt so much."

He looked at her for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Needs to be said," he agreed.

Alex sat and listened while her told the whole sorry story; Lizzie and the abortion, his callous disregard for Lillian's feelings, and his selfishness in becoming almost consumed with another woman. He spoke with bitterness about the guilt that he'd carried with him for the rest of his marriage.

"Sometimes I think it's no big deal…. so what? She was OK afterwards, it wasn't really a baby that she got rid of. Most blokes wouldn't have given it a second thought. They'd have just forgotten all about it."

"Most men would have either told her to bugger off, or at the very most, just given her the cash and told her to get on with it. At least you helped her to sort it all out."

Gene snorted grimly, shaking his head. "I only paid because I didn't want her telling Lillian. She would've if I hadn't done what she wanted, and I sorted it out for her because I didn't want to go prison. Abortion was illegal then, Alex. If anyone had found out that I'd given her the money, I'd have been finished. At least by arranging it all, I could keep control of what happened.

I'd seen what happened to some girls that went to the wrong place to get themselves sorted. I remember one girl of seventeen who'd collapsed in the back alley outside her house; we all thought she'd been murdered until the post-mortem revealed that she'd died from septicaemia from a botched backstreet abortion....which is as good as murder. I didn't want to take this risk of that happening to Lizzie. It would have been too easy to link me to it all. Believe me, I didn't do it because of any mis-placed sense of chivalry. All I cared about was saving my own neck."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms awkwardly on his knees, his hands dangling down between them, as if he didn't know what to do with them. "I haven't thought about it in years, but when I do, it reminds me of what I am. Who I became."

He gazed out across the sunlit churchyard, his eyes clouded with the past. "I was my old man. Everything I despised about him, everything I'd fought against. The only thing I never, ever did was raise a hand to Lillian. Everything else was him though; the drinking, the lying, the cheating. All of it. I thought that if I married Lily, it would all be OK, things would be different, but it wasn't. I never really had a chance to be anything else. It was all inevitable."

She reached out to him instinctively, one hand stroking his hair. "You know that's not true. You're not like he was, Gene, for the one simple reason that you still care about what you did. You still feel guilty about it. From what you've told me about your father, he never felt the slightest flicker of remorse for anything that he did. He was beyond redemption. You on the other hand are not; you never have been."

"Suppose so" he mumbled, his head still bowed. He let out a long breath. "You have no idea how much I needed to tell you all that, even if it does make you look at me differently."

"Gene, do you really think I'd stay with you if you were anything like your father? I know I'm a bit fruitcake sometimes, but credit me with some intelligence, please. "She nudged him, trying to make him smile.

He laughed. "You're the most intelligent woman I've ever met, Alex Drake ." He paused for a minute, watching her from the corner of his eye, a small grin tugging at the edges of his mouth. "That's why you're wi' me. You know a good thing when you see it."

"Yes. I do… You are a good man, Gene.. and I love you."

He sat up straighter, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They sat in silence, content just to be in each other's company.

"I'm sorry" he said, finally. "About the baby."

"So am I," she agreed softly.

"Did you mean it? When you said you wouldn't have got rid of it?"

Alex nodded, a lump in her throat. "I didn't realise how much I wanted it until it was gone," she whispered. "I know you don't want children, and that's OK. It's not like you haven't been honest with me about how you feel, but I'm going to need a little time to deal with that." She sniffed, hard. "God, don't set me off crying. My bloody mascara will run."

She gave a shaky laugh, as he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head, reaching across his lap with his free hand to take hers. Alex leaned against him, listening to steady beat of his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. She felt him take a breath as if he was about to speak, but he didn't.

Instead, he untangled himself from her gently and went to stand on the sunlit grass, lighting one of his cigars with fierce concentration. He puffed at it, the blue/grey smoke drifting slowly up into the air as he did so, and lent back against one of the old tombs. He gave her a swift, assessing glance as if weighing up what he was about to say next.

"I remember to talking to Sam about kids once, the night before his wedding. He didn't want any; he was adamant about it. His dad had left when he was a lad and he'd never got over it. Annie wasn't worried though; she said there was plenty of time for him to change his mind."

Alex didn't really see what this had to do with them, but she kept quiet. Gene obviously had something important to say and he was getting round to it in his own way. He stared at his feet intently, his voice shaking with emotion now.

"But there wasn't enough time was there, Alex. Sam died and Annie was left on her own. Wi' nothing."

She left her seat on the bench and walked across the grass to lean beside him. He sighed and pushed his mouth forward into a rueful pout. "I went to see her, about a week after the memorial service. Couldn't have funeral, as there wasn't a body to bury. When I got there, Annie was in tears, and her mam was too. I nearly went straight home again, to be honest. Not really my thing, a house full of hysterical women, but I didn't, I stayed, tried to sort it out. Me and Annie went for a walk in the end, to let everyone calm down.

Turns out her mam had changed the bed and washed the all sheets. Annie hadn't been able to bring herself to do it because they'd smelt of Sam. She said that she could pretend, just for an instant as she woke up, that Sam was still there wi' her, and now even that was gone."

He shook his head as he gazed into the past, his eyes blurry and unfocused.

"She had nothing else, Alex, and it was killing her. She had his _things_; his clothes, his books, his records, but nothing _of him_. No child to comfort her, to see his likeness in. Nothing. She said her biggest regret was not just getting pregnant and dealing wi' Sam later. We were sat on a bench over by the football pitch, wi' her crying her eyes out, and I can still remember her exact words. "_He'd have been OK wi' it when it was born. I should have taken the chance, but I never thought that me and Sam would have so little time together._"

She felt him take her hand, his fingers brushing slowly across the ring she now wore. For a long time neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Do you what today is, Alex?" he asked, suddenly, fixing her with his intense silver/blue gaze.

"Yes....... It's exactly a year today that you were shot." She spoke softly, thinking back over the last twelve months.

"You made a promise to me that evening. Do you remember."

"I promised you that you could do what you liked with me...." She grinned, before continuing, "...naked or clothed, I think that's how the rest of it went."

"It did," he growled, looking her up and down, his gaze tracking from her eyes to her mouth and back, making Alex's chest tighten with a rush of love and desire. "So, can I still collect? I reckon a promise as good as that has got to last a whole year."

"Well...." She looked at him, teasingly."You can collect on the clothed bit but anything involving "naked" just isn't happening I'm afraid."

He chuckled quietly, looking at his feet, scuffing one boot through the grass as he struggled to get the words out.

"You know, I really should thank that bastard Kingsland for having me shot. I'd never would've said anything to you, otherwise, let alone given you the necklace. I'd already convinced myself it was a ridiculous idea as we were walking to Luigi's. Told myself not to be so bloody stupid; what would a posh bird like you see in a bloke like me, anyway.

Then, when I was laying there in the gutter, convinced I was going to sodding die, all I could think about was that I might not ever get to tell you... that you'd never know." His grip on her fingers tightened. "I never thought we'd end up together. I was convinced I'd be a sad lonely bastard until my dying day. You changed everything. You've given me the chance to have a different life."

There was a long pause before he spoke again, hesitantly, "So..... if I told you what I want.....that I'd changed my mind about us..... about being a family...you know....kids and stuff, you'd be all right wi' that?" He looked like a child himself at that moment; twisted up with nerves, his heart in his eyes. He flashed her a nervous glance, trying and failing to look casual as he continued to speak. "'Cos if you're not, then it's no big deal.. I was just wondering, that's all..... I mean,if you hate the idea, we'll just forget I ever suggested it... carry on as we are..."

He stopped as she put her fingers on his lips, her eyes locked on his. "Gene, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked tentatively, praying that she hadn't misinterpreted him. "Are you telling me that you want to have children?"

"Of course I am!" he snapped, clearly frightened at just how vulnerable he'd made himself.

Alex tried and failed to contain the joy that welled up inside of her at that moment. She let out a sound halfway between a sob and laugh, feeling him smile too, as she wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him. His hands came up to cup her face and he held her still, looking into her eyes, his expression scared but resolute.

"And I want us to get married first" he declared firmly. "I know you don't, but I'm not having any kid of mine being illegitimate. The poor little sod'll have a hard enough time wi' a miserable git like me for a father."

He glared at her challengingly, clearly waiting for her to disagree with what he'd just said.

"All right" she shrugged, pretending to be casual, her eyes shinning with love as she watched his expression change from fear to delight at her words. "We'll get married."

"Really?" She heard the hope mingling with the fear, his voice unsteady.

"Yup. That's what I was talking about to Tom, in the kitchen the morning after you'd given me this. I'd changed my mind, but I didn't know how to tell you." She raised her left hand, the eternity ring flashing and sparkling as it caught the sun.

He looked at her, an enormous grin spreading across his face. "I'm not buying you a bloody engagement ring as well though, Alex. You'll have to make do wi' that one."


	51. Chapter 51

**Next chapter - sorry it's taken so damn long - writer's block again.**

**Profound apologies as well to everyone who sent me a review for the last chapter- as ever I'm really chuffed and honoured that you take the time and trouble to let me know what you think, and I really apologise for not sending replies. The last 4 weeks have been weird and real life has intruded FAR too much into my writing time. Thanks for all your wonderful comments - I'm really pleased that you still want to read my version of the pair of them. ;-)**

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"Forty minutes." stated Gene, firmly, sitting back in his chair, his face set in a determined scowl.

"Oh, come on, Gene! It's Angela's birthday! I can't just turn up for forty minutes and then leave! It's not polite." Alex laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at his stubbornness.

"Bugger polite! Forty minutes, Alex, then it's home wi' me. You know damn well what tonight is, and I've waited long enough." He leaned forward and grabbed his desk calendar. "Look, it's on here in red pen."

He jabbed his finger at the corresponding date and Alex blushed. There was a huge red circle round today's date.

"I can't believe you've got the date that we can have sex again marked on your bloody desk calendar!" she hissed, trying to contain her giggles.

Gene raised his eyebrows in surprised protest. "Well, why not? It's a subject close to my heart, Bolly. I've been counting the days." He sat back again and folded his arms, regarding her with a lecherous gaze. "So, forty minutes in Luigi's wi' the girls, and the rest of the evening in bed wi' me. I don't think that's a bad deal, Alex, do you?"

Screwing her face up into a considering grimace, she pretended to think about it, "Well…..it's not too bad, I suppose. Throw in a take-away curry at some point in the proceedings and I'm all yours."

He got up, moving round his desk until he was standing right in front of her. She breathed in the scent of him and her stomach tightened with desire. _Who was she trying to kid with her token protests?_ She wasn't really that bothered about leaving Angela's birthday celebrations so early, but it amused her to tease him even though, in all honesty, she wanted to rip his clothes off right now. Instead, she was going to have to wait two hours and twenty-seven minutes until both work and drinks were over, and she could leave with him. Gene edged forward so that they were standing face-to-face, inches apart. He held her gaze with his.

"I know you're all mine," he murmured, making her shiver. "Forty minutes, and no longer, Alex."

She felt her knees go weak as he spoke. "It's not as though you've been totally neglected, Gene," she whispered back, arching one eyebrow at him, teasingly. "I seem to remember that you had no complaints what-so-ever last night."

He chuckled, leaning closer to growl softly. "Incredible as it is to have your mouth wrapped round my dick, it's no substitute for the real thing, as it were."

He eased one leg in between hers, moving his thigh slowly upwards until it was pushing against her, a hand snaking round her hip to pull her closer, increasing the pressure as she gasped in response, moving against him slowly, the silk of her knickers rubbing and teasing against her sensitive flesh.

"I want you," he told her, in a tone that left no room for dissent, his eyes still locked on hers, "and tonight's the night I can have you again....and again...and again....." He urged her harder against his leg with each utterance of "again" and Alex bit her lower lip sharply, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the moan of raw lust that emerged from her throat.

There was a brief knock at the door, and he moved away from her swiftly, just before it swung open. "…and that's final, DI Drake. Now, was there anything else you wanted from me?"

He looked over his shoulder at her enquiringly, his face entirely innocent as Shaz stepped in to his office. Alex drew a deep breath, struggling to regain her senses, her heart racing and a pulse throbbing between her legs. _How much longer did she have to wait until she could go home with him_? She smiled at Shaz, trying to distract herself. The younger girl grinned back, giving her a very knowing look.

"Here's all the statements from last night's raid, all typed-up and cross-referenced, Guv."

Gene had his back to her, rummaging in the filing cabinet for something. "Thanks Shaz, just put them on my desk. The new bloke can have the joy of dealing wi' them."

"Right, Guv…I'll…… um…leave you to it then, shall I?" Shaz gave Alex a wink before closing the door behind her.

Gene let out a deep breath, shutting the cabinet drawer as he did so. "I need to sit down. You have a particular affect on me, Alex and I really don't think that WPC Granger is ready for the sight of the Gene Genie in full sail, as it were."

Alex grinned. "If it makes you feel any better, Gene, I'm more than ready for you," she told him, with a naughty giggle.

"Out, Alex! Leave me in peace. I have less than 24 hours left in this station and I do not want to spend the majority of them in a state of advanced sexual frustration! Just go away and let me read my paper and pretend to look busy."

She took pity on him then, returning to her desk to make sure that all her paperwork was up-to-date and in order. They'd raided a warehouse and a river barge down on the Isle of Dogs the previous evening, and it had been extremely successful. The cells were full of British and Dutch drug-runners, the last link in the chain of Marsh's supply route into the City.

The only downside to the whole thing was the disappearance of the informant that they'd used. Gene had found out that he was actually a Dutch police officer, who had been working undercover for months with the gang that supplied Marsh. When they'd met him a couple of nights ago to confirm the last few details of the raid, he'd refused to go with them to a safe house, choosing instead to return to the Netherlands where he could continue to try and round up the remaining gang members. "If I don't go back now, they'll suspect me. This way, I get to keep my cover intact."

Gene had been worried about his decision but he'd had no power to stop him. In the end he'd let him go back to the barge with the firm instruction to call them if he needed their help in anyway. Worryingly they'd heard nothing from him since and he'd been nowhere to be seen when they'd arrested the other men involved.

Gene had tried not to dwell on it too much as the lads were all over the moon that they'd effectively managed to shut down Marsh's drugs running operation after so many months of getting nowhere. The Guv's last op with them had been a resounding success. It wasn't just Gene that was leaving tomorrow, though; Alex was as well. Their leaving party was shaping up to be a riotous affair, especially since she and Gene had also recently announced that their wedding would take place at the end of May.

The team, not to mention the rest of the Station, had been stunned by the news that the Guv was "taking the plunge" into matrimony once more, and there had been times when the teasing and the "'er indoors" remarks had got so out of hand, that Alex had almost regretted Gene telling them.

He'd let slip the news when they'd returned to join the others in the Viaduct Arms after their conversation in Postman's Park. He'd bought them both a drink and they'd gone to sit at a table in the corner, each of them still dazed with the enormity of what they'd just admitted to one another. The pub had been much quieter as all the children had been upstairs watching the magic show and they could talk without having to shout over dozens of excited little voices.

"So when did you change your mind?" Alex had asked him, cautiously. "I thought you were dead against being a father?"

Gene had grinned sheepishly. "It sort of crept up on me. Believe me, Alex, no one was more surprised than I was when I asked if you wanted another baby. It just came out, before I even realised what I was saying, and when you said no, well...... I was bit disappointed, to tell you the truth. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. Then we had Dave's kids to stay and I enjoyed myself… I was knackered, mind, but I still had fun."

He'd shrugged as he'd taken a huge sip of his pint. "I put it all out of mind; thought I was just getting a bit soft, but when you told me about losing the baby, I was bloody furious. Not about you getting pregnant," he'd reassured her hastily, "but because I didn't know about it, and when you told me, I thought everything would fall apart, like it did wi' Lily." He'd sighed, one hand reaching for hers. "It's like you said, Alex. You don't know what you really want until it's gone."

He'd glanced up at her mischievously through his eyelashes. "Anyway, what's up wi' you? I thought you didn't want to get married. When did _you_ change _your_ mind about that?"

It had been Alex's turn to grin. "When you gave me this," she admitted, twisting the eternity ring round and round on her finger. "I was convinced you were going to propose, and when you didn't, I realised how much I'd wanted you to…how much I wanted to be your wife," she'd added, shyly, her grin widening even more.

He'd leaned over to murmur in her ear. "You'll still wear ridiculously tiny knickers, though, won't you Alex, even when you're my Missus?"

"I promise" she'd nodded, drinking in the sight of him. She would never tire of looking at him, she'd thought, feeling the shivers run down her spine as he'd turned the full force of his beautiful silver/blue gaze on her. He was life itself; the reason for her existence and nothing made sense if she didn't have him. She leaned closer to him, needing to tell him what else had been on her mind since the evening of his drunken conversation with Tom.

"I heard what you said to Tom, the night you were drunk, and it's not true."

"What isn't?" He'd frowned, shifting his legs under the table so that they were hooked around hers.

"That I don't need anything from you. I do….. I need you. You make everything…," she'd paused, unable to find the right word; "_real" _didn't even begin to explain it. "True" Alex had declared, at last. "You're the truth at the heart of everything. Without you, there's nothing."She'd looked up to see him staring at her intently. "Oh, take no bloody notice of me, I'm wittering on again," she'd laughed, suddenly self-conscious.

He'd leaned forward and kissed her gently. "Either that, or you've had too much to drink, Bolly," he'd told her with a grin, but his eyes had shone with love even as he'd teased her.

They'd sat there for ages, just watching everyone else, hands and legs entwined, grinning like lunatics whenever they'd caught each other's eye. Ray had wandered over to find out what they wanted from the bar. "You alright now, Guv?" he'd asked, curiously. "You look fairly chuffed about something."

"I am. I've just asked Alex to marry me" Gene had announced proudly and Alex's mouth had fallen open in total astonishment at his honesty.

Ray had looked equally stunned. "You're joking, Guv.…… Did she say yes?"

"Of course she bloody did!" Gene had replied indignantly. "She's not gonna turn the Gene Genie down now is she!"

Ray had stared at them both in disbelief, and Alex had started to giggle at the frankly horrified look on his face. He'd slunk off to the bar without another word.

"What did you say that for?" she'd chided Gene. "He'll go and tell everyone else now."

Gene had just shrugged. "Fine by me. They've got to know sometime, Bolly."

"I suppose so" she'd agreed, watching as Ray had handed Chris and Dave their drinks. He'd said something and all three of them had looked over in her direction.

She'd grinned at them before turning back to Gene. A few minutes later, Dave had banged on the bar and asked them all for silence before thanking everyone for taking the time to celebrate his son's christening. There was a round of applause, and as it died away, Alex saw Chris drop a coin into the jukebox. "This is for the Guv and Alex, from me, Ray and Chris," Dave had announced and he'd tipped Gene a cheeky salute as the song he'd picked had begun to play. "_Love is in the air, everywhere I look around….."_

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As she dragged her thoughts back to work, and sorted through the files on her desk, trying to create some semblance of order for the new DI, Ray appeared from the kitchen clutching a packet of custard creams and two mugs of tea. He dumped one of them down on her desk, before ripping open the biscuits and offering them to her.

"Thanks Ray." She glanced up him, noting his subdued mood. "You all right? You know, about the Guv moving on?" Although she'd known about Gene's promotion for weeks, it had been kept from the team until his successor had been found, and more importantly, accepted the post. There had been a couple of other changes as well, when Gene had announced the news last week and it had taken a few days for the lads to accept that their beloved Guv was leaving them, as was Alex.

Ray nodded. "Yeh, I'm fine. It'll be strange not to have 'im sitting in there, ready to shout blue murder at us all." He shrugged sadly. "I can't believe it's all changing, to be honest."

"Gene says that you already know your new DCI?"

"Yes, I do. Phil Warner. He's a good bloke; likes a pint or three, always up for a game of darts. He'll do all right wi' us." He gave her a searching look. "Don't worry about it, Boss. We all knew that the Guv would go, one way or another. We're just glad that it's because he's moving upwards, not because they've given 'im 'is marching orders. That's all down to you, Ma'am. We're pleased for 'im. Honestly."

"And you're all right about Dave being made up to DI?" Alex asked him, hesitantly, knowing that it was a potentially touchy subject.

Ray grinned at her worried expression. "I'm fine wi' that too, Boss. Stop worrying. Dave's the right man for then job. He's better at all the detailed stuff than I am. As long as I've still got Chris, and Peter Ellis to shout at, then I'm OK. It's Chris we need to worry about – he's not happy about Shaz moving up to Hoxton."

"Well, at least he's got a couple of months to get used to the idea. She's staying until Warner's settled in here, isn't she?"

Ray nodded, picking up the packet of biscuits and wandering half-heartedly towards his desk. "Best get my paperwork from last night sorted out before we knock off. You're coming for a drink wi' Angie, aren't you?" he called back to her.

Alex smiled, glancing up at Gene who had quite clearly heard Ray's question and was staring intently at her through the glass. "Yes, I am, Ray. Just for a quick one though, I've got somewhere else I'm supposed to be."

She watched as Gene gave her an almost imperceptible nod, his mouth set in approving pout as he did so. Alex took another deep breath, trying to suppress the feelings of desire that raged through her, vowing to immerse herself in arrest reports until six o'clock.

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At six forty-five precisely, just as Alex was paying for the third round of drinks, Gene appeared in the doorway of Luigi's. Shaz nudged her as she caught sight of him. "Time's up, Ma'am," she giggled . Alex shivered hotly at the sight of him, tall and imposing as he strode over to them. She said her goodbyes hastily, pulling on her jacket as she did so while Gene nodded a brief hello to the table full of strangely giggly girls who were all eyeing him mischievously. Shaz had evidently told them all about what she'd interrupted in the his office earlier that afternoon.

"Bye Alex," called Angela. "Have a good evening," she added with a suggestive grin.

Alex winked at her as she tucked her hand into the crook Gene's proffered arm. "Oh, I will. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Once outside, Gene undid the door of the Quattro for her, leaning in to kiss her hungrily before he made his way round to the driver's side. He drove as fast as he dared through the busy traffic, winding his way through the residential side streets that all the local drivers used as rat runs to avoid the congested main roads. They reached Noel Road at just gone seven pm, despite it being the rush-hour and as Alex climbed out of the car, he grabbed her again, pulling her towards the house, one hand tangled in her hair as his mouth descended on hers.

There was a sudden rush of movement up the steps towards them, and a scrabbling of paws at their legs announced Mabel's presence. She let out a series of happy barks as she threw herself at Gene, her whole body waggling in delight. Gene laughed, stooping down the stroke her velvety ears.

"Hello dog" he told her. "You better not have put your muddy paws all over my coat. Evening, Ros."

"Mabel! Come here!" Ros appeared on the pavement, smiling even as she scolded her errant hound. "Leave them alone! Can't you see they're busy!" She bent to clip Mabel's lead onto her collar. "Alex, my dear, we must have tea soon; so many things to catch up on, but I can see you're more than a little _occupied_ at the present time. I'll speak to you tomorrow…… Goodnight, Gene." She walked on up the road, leaving Gene and Alex to continue kissing whilst trying to unlock their front door at the same time.

"Bye Ros" Alex managed to call out in reply as Gene swept her into the hall. They stripped off their coats and jackets, leaving them in a heap on the floor and Alex pushed him back against the wall, her mouth on his neck and her hands at his belt. She wanted him so much, her fingers trembling, her breath coming in gasps. The knowledge that she was actually going to be able to have all of him, all night, after weeks of denial, was all she could think of. It wasn't that they hadn't done other stuff, they'd been very inventive at times, she recalled with a sharp stab of lust, but it wasn't the same; the no-penetration rule had been hard to stick to when nothing matched the feeling of him inside her, filling her up, possessing her completely. She captured his mouth with hers, groaning as she slid her tongue against his. Her hands renewed their assault on his zip, but as she started to undo it, he stopped her, dragging her hand away.

"No" he growled. "Not here. I want to do this properly. Upstairs, Alex."

He loosened his tie as he climbed the stairs, her hand still held firmly in his grip, only letting it go when they reached the bedroom, pulling her tightly to him once more.

"Now. Where were we again?"

Alex smiled as she lowered her hands to his zip. "Here, I believe," she told him, her fingers stroking him through the material of his trousers. Gene groaned softly.

"Oh…so we were." He closed his eyes and tipped his head back as she licked at the hollow of his throat, reveling in the sharp, salty taste of his skin.

They undressed each other slowly, silently, each of them concentrating only on the sensation of skin on skin, fingers stroking and teasing gently, trailing hot, wet kisses across each other's bodies as they shed their clothes. He kissed his way down her body, lingering over her breasts, drawing the tight, hard peaks of her nipples into his mouth, his tongue flickering over them, drawing small gasps of delight from her.

"Alex….you haven't started taking your pill again, have you?" he asked with a soft murmur. He looked up at her, his pupils huge and smoky with desire, before dipping his head and dropping soft, whispering kisses across her stomach and hips.

Alex pulled back from him gently, wondering exactly where this conversation was going…..and why the hell where they having it now, anyway? She thought they'd sorted this out. She forced herself to concentrate on what he'd just said, despite what his lips were doing to her.

"No, I haven't. We agreed that I wouldn't. I thought you were OK with it?"

"Mmmm….I am. I just wanted to make sure, that's all….."

He stroked one hand softly down her thigh as he knelt in front of her, slipping her black silk knickers slowly down her legs, his breath whispering across her skin. "I love you" he murmured in between kisses, his tongue tracing long curves over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, inching nearer and nearer to the hot, slick centre of her. He eased her leg over his shoulder, moving closer, his tongue dipping inside gently, lapping at her. Alex let out a whimper of desire, shuddering as sudden heat raced through every nerve.

Gene's hands moved to her hips, steadying her as she rocked herself against his mouth, her hands in his hair. He was in no hurry, his mouth teasing her softly, his teeth grazing her clit for just an instant before he moved away, his tongue thrusting inside her again and again, making her wail incoherently with longing for him.

"Oh…oh.. yes… you feel so good…ohhhhh….so good." She was panting now, her legs trembling, almost giving way, as she felt her orgasm building in her. He replaced his tongue with his fingers, and feeling of them deftly pushing their way inside her after being denied for so long, made Alex explode; she tangled her hands in his hair tightly, shouting out in agonised pleasure. He let her drop slowly backwards on to the mattress, his mouth finding hers once more, as his fingers continued what his tongue had started, making her beg for him, moaning and gasping as she came hard and fast, crying his name over and over.

As she clung to him, her whole body shuddering, he watched her closely, his eyes locked on her face.

"You all right?" he asked her, gruffly. "Was that OK?"

She nodded breathlessly, as she reached for him, feeling him hard and ready in her hands, needing him inside her even as she trembled with the aftershocks of her climax. She curled her fingers round the length of him, stroking him slowly, hooking one leg over his and moving closer.

"Ohhh…." His breath hissed from between his teeth as he fought to speak. "You sure you're OK?........ It's not…… _different_?" he gasped, obviously fighting to concentrate on what he wanted to say, rather than what she was doing to him. He gripped her wrist hard with his hand, slowing her down.

Alex stopped, seeing the disquiet in his eyes. "No, it's not different. Why do you think it would be?" she asked, softly, having a good idea why he would be worried, but wanting him to give voice to his fears.

"I just thought it might be, that's all…. It was different afterwards with Li…." He stopped, changing what he'd been going to say. "It might be different because of… you know..what happened." He dropped his gaze from hers, unable to look at her any more.

"Gene, look at me." Slowly, reluctantly he met her eyes. "I'm OK, and it's definitely not different. What happened wasn't that bad. I'm better now and things will be the same as they always were..... I promise."

She pushed him onto his back, moving over him on all fours, leaning down to kiss him deeply, her tongue flickering against his. "Let me show you just how OK I am," she murmured against his mouth, before sliding slowly down his body, biting gently along the line of his jaw and neck, tracing the scars on his shoulder and ribs with her tongue as she moved lower. Gently she sucked the very tip of his cock, curling her tongue round him, licking at the underside, making him gasp and mutter. "Fuck….ohhhh...... that's good."

She drew him in deeper, hearing him moan as she did so, feeling her whole body beginning to ache and pulse with need again, despite her earlier orgasm. She sucked at him harder, groaning as he thrust further into her mouth. He let her work him for a minute or two longer, grunting as she moved her mouth over him, her tongue flickering around his tight, burning flesh. She felt his hands tug impatiently at her, pulling her back up his body. "Want you.." he rasped as he guided her over him. Alex arched her back, rubbing herself gently along the length of him, teasing him. He drew a deep, gasping breath as she shifted her hips, sliding the tip of his cock in and out of her, slowly and gently. "Ohhhh god... " she breathed huskily, almost consumed by the incredible feeling of him moving inside her. Gene's eyes snapped open. "Alex?" he whispered, hoarsely. "Is it……are you... He bucked his hips up against hers, pushing in deeper, making her melt even more.

"Fucking hell, woman, I can't think straight when I'm like this, wi' you….

She dug her fingers into his chest and let out a moan, moving over him, rocking against him with small strokes that made sparks of pure lust erupt through her whole body. " Fuck, that's good," she gasped. "You feel fantastic…."

"Good" he groaned, his hands digging into her hips. "So..you're OK?…..it feels OK?…..." He broke off with a grunt as she urged her hips harder against him, taking him in as deep as she could. "Oh christ, Alex…keep doing that.."

"Gene …..trust me…..you feel incredible….now......please…just..shut …up… and let ….me… fuck you….." she groaned through gritted teeth, as she rode him faster, feeling the heat building again. She saw the desire blaze in his eyes as she replied, unable to say anything else as her second climax overtook her, rendering her incapable of coherent thought. She convulsed around him, still moving hard and fast, bringing him closer to the edge.

"Ohhh god!… that's amazing, Alex… don't stop…" He thrust up into her with a long, low moan, his whole body rigid as he lost control, the burning heat of him pulsing high up inside her as he came. He pulled her down to him, kissing her face and neck, whispering her name, easing her over until they were both lying on their sides.

"See?" Alex grinned, when they could both focus again. "I told you I was OK."

Gene laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear. "Yeh, that was OK. We will have to do it again though, just to check it wasn't a one-off."

"You were listening when I said I wasn't taking the pill, weren't you?" she asked, worried that he'd been too engrossed in her to hear her reply. "And you do realise what that means?"

He cut her off with a kiss, his hand coming up to stroke her cheek. "Alex, I'm fine about it. It's only five weeks 'til you're officially my Missus anyway. It's not a problem, not at all." He gave her a huge grin. "It's strange, and more than a little bit terrifying, but it's not a problem."

He kissed her forehead, before pulling away from her, and getting out of bed.

"I believe you said something about a curry. If I don't go and collect it now, I'm never going to. Do you want the same as you usually have?"

"Please," Alex nodded, watching him as he dressed, a warm glow suffusing her entire body. _Five weeks until they were married._ She felt giddy whenever she thought about it and it was all the more wonderful because she'd never dreamt that she'd feel that way about marriage again. She hugged herself under the duvet as Gene dropped a kiss on her cheek.

"Get up" he growled. "Warm plates and cold beer, that's what curries need. I'll see you in a minute."

"OK…. love you," she told him, as he left the bedroom.

"Warm the plates, Alex!" he called back up the stairs and a moment later, the front door closed behind him.

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She lay in bed, feeling her body tingling all over, her limbs still heavy and languid from her last climax. Craning her neck over to Gene's side to see the clock on the bedside table, she realised that he'd been gone nearly half an hour, and she really did need to get out of bed now. From outside came the noise of a car door slamming, followed by the screech of tyres, then a couple of minutes later, voices and laughter as people walked past.

Alex pulled on a pair of red, brushed cotton pyjama bottoms that she'd bought for lounging around the house in, a cream silk camisole top that Gene loved, and her soft, grey woollen cardigan. Wrapped up warmly against the draughts that sneaked in through the sash windows, she made her way downstairs. She lit the fire in the sitting room, adding coal slowly and carefully to the pile of kindling and newspaper twists that she'd built in the grate. When it was burning steadily, she went down to the kitchen to sort out the plates, ready for Gene's return.

As she warmed the plates and found cutlery, putting it all onto a tray so that they could take their food upstairs into the sitting room, the phone began to ring. She picked it up, glad the new kitchen extension meant that she didn't have to run up the stairs to answer it. It would be Gene, she told herself, ringing from the curry house to re-check the order.

"Hello!" she chirped, happily. "What have you forgotten then?"

There was a long pause and then a man's voice laughed sarcastically. "Oh, Alex. You don't think very much of him, do you? He didn't forget anything. Shame it's all over the pavement outside your house."

"Excuse me? Who is this please?" The voice at the other end of the line was familiar but she couldn't place it.

"See, he's been watching out for you, but the question you have to ask yourself is, who's been watching him?" The nasty little laugh sounded down the line again. "Well, I have, so no curry for you tonight, Honey. Sleep well."

The phone went dead and she was left clutching the receiver to her ear, unwilling to believe what she'd just heard. The voice belonged to Eddie Marsh and somehow he was talking about Gene. She began to shake as she stood there, the fear washing over her in icy waves.

_OK , stay calm, and think. It could all be a trap_, she reasoned, to get her to undo the front door. She ran upstairs to their bedroom and looked out of the window. The Quattro was parked outside, the driver's door wide-open, headlights still on. On the pavement beside it, she could make out a white carrier bag, the tin foil curry cartons that it had contained spilling out across the paving stones. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest and she struggled to breathe, as she realised with mounting horror that Marsh wasn't bluffing. She recalled the sound of the slamming car door and the screeching tyres.

Alex wasted no more time in trying to figure out what Marsh was up to. She hurled herself back down to the kitchen, ripping down the page of emergency work numbers from the wall. Thankfully, the Super answered the phone within a few rings and Alex explained the situation to him in a few concise sentences.

"Right. Listen to me, Alex. I'm going to call DCI Ayres. He's been tracking Marsh for months, and I know that Gene's been liaising with him on a number of things. I'm going to send him over to you. He'll take things from there. I want you to sit tight, DI Drake. Don't, whatever you do, leave the house. You're to stay where you are until Ayres reaches you. Do you understand?"

She bit back the retort that Gene hadn't been liaising with Ayres, so much as shouting at him to get his head out of arse and do his job, but she knew it wouldn't help the situation.

"Yes, Sir. Can I phone my team? They'll want to know what's happened."

"Yes you can, but tell them from me, absolutely no vigilante heroics. I know you all want Gene back, but we have to do this properly."

After she'd rung Luigi's and asked to speak to Ray, she sat in the kitchen staring blankly at the wall, in shock at the speed at which things had gone from wonderful to utterly terrifying. _Focus_, she urged herself fiercely, _focus on the fact that half the Met will be out looking for Gene. Marsh can't hide forever. It will be OK. They will find him._She repeated the last two sentences over and over to herself as she waited for both Ray and DCI Ayres to arrive.


	52. Chapter 52

**This has taken me an age to write – apologies. **

**This chapter is fairly short but I had to split it up as it was far too long in one big chunk – I promise that Chapter 53 will follow very quickly as it's already written and just needs editing.**

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DCI Ayres, so far, had lived up to Gene's opinion of him; "all mouth and no sodding trousers, that one. Not that he's got anything to put in his trousers in the first place, the dickless, fucking penpusher; he bores the arse off everyone with his theories but never actually does anything. Christ knows how they expect him to help bring in Marsh."

His team had set up base in Alex's kitchen; the table and worktops covered in files and maps, and the phones in the hall and kitchen hooked up to recording devices. Ayres himself was a middle aged, fussy little man with an infuriatingly condescending attitude and he'd immediately informed Alex quite categorically that she wasn't going to be directly involved in the case because she was, in his opinion, "incapable of judging her decisions rationally and unemotionally."

Alex had already left the kitchen on two occasions so far when he'd been speaking to them all, afraid that she'd start screaming at him to shut up and get out there and find Gene, but she knew that it would be the worse thing she could do. Ayres was the sort of man who would exclude from things completely if she behaved like that. He'd already made several pointed remarks about women CID officers not being strong enough to take the pressure of certain situations.

Ray had spoken to him sharply when Ayres had commented on her smudged mascara, and reddened eyes.

"Listen Sir, you do realise that DCI Hunt and DI Drake are a couple, don't you? They're getting married next month. She's got every right to be upset under the circumstances."

Ayres had looked at him disapprovingly. "Yet another reason not to let women get this high up the ranks in my opinion, DS Carling. It only leads to this sort of needlessly complicated situation."

Ray had sighed, turning away from him in disgust and Alex had seen him mouth the word "wanker" at Ayres's back. She'd caught his eye, and smiled sadly as he'd leaned closer to her. "It'll be alright Boss, I promise," he'd whispered. "Me and the lads won't let the Guv down."

Now as Ayres finished his briefing, Alex tried again to reason him about the other issue that was worrying her. "Sir, I really think that you should send a team round to watch DCI Fletcher's house. Tom maybe on leave for personal reasons but Marsh could still be a threat to him."

Ayres tutted, sighing heavily and rolling his eyes. "We have no indication that DCI Fletcher has even been threatened by Marsh, DI Drake. It's a waste of resources."

Alex swore inwardly, remembering that Tom's Super had kept the whole reason for his absence quiet. Short of revealing everything about Tom to Ayres, there was very little else she could do. She'd already tried to phone him but there'd been no answer. Not for the first time, Alex cursed Tom's flourishing social life and left a message with the Desk Sergeant at Collier Street for him to call her, before retreating to the sitting room, where she curled up on the sofa and waited for some news of Gene.

Ray followed her, taking a seat in one of the leather armchairs where her sat in slience, clicking the flame of his lighter on and off, over and over again as he waited with her; the hopelessness that he felt, clearly evident from his bowed head and slumped shoulders.

Alex remembered another night, over a year ago, spent in the same way; just her and Ray, sitting in silence, waiting and worrying, not daring to utter any of the terrible thoughts that filled both their minds. Everything had been OK that time though. Gene had been in safe hands and had survived. Now they had no idea where he was, or what was happening to him and it was eating away at them both.

Ray had arrived from Fenchurch East just after Ayres, grim-faced and the bearer of yet more bad news. The Super had been involved in a car accident on his way to the station and was now on his way to hospital with severe concussion.

"That means that Ayres's Governor, Superintendent Eckland is in charge. He's at the station now, coordinating the search teams. He wasn't very happy that I was coming up here to check on you; says I should be following his orders, not yours."

Alex frowned. "I've never met Eckland. Have you?"

Ray had grimaced. "I have and the bloke's a bastard….. I'm sorry to be blunt Boss, but we're fucked if he's giving the orders, and so's the Guv."

"Why? What's wrong with him? I was hoping he'd be better than that twat Ayres. Between you and me, he's not being very helpful at all."

"He wouldn't be, not if Alan Eckland's got anything to do wi' it. He hates the Guv's guts."

"Why?"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Because of a woman," he intoned in disgust. "There's always bloody trouble when there's a woman involved."

Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "Not the best time to go all misogynistic on me Ray. I'm not having a very good evening and I'm on a short fuse."

"Sorry Ma'am, I wasn't thinking." He sighed."Has the Guv ever mentioned a run-in he had wi' Eckland to you?"

"No. Should he have?"

"Not really. It all happened a couple of months after we first transferred. The Guv an' me got invited to this retirement do; I can't remember who it was for. We only went because we'd be able to put names to faces, and it was a free bar. Eckland was there, wi' a bird. I think her name was something like Helen. She was nice looking, great pair of tits….." He'd flicked a glance at Alex to see if he'd gone too far but she'd just smiled, wryly.

"Funny how it's always easy to remember the tits but not the name, isn't it?"

Ray had shrugged. "Well, the tits are the most important bit. ……." He caught sight Alex's raised eyebrow. "Sorry, Boss," he murmured, almost automatically. "She was a cracking piece, though. Turn's out she was Eckland's bit on the side and that evening they had a big row. Someone had told her that he'd just booked a fortnight in Spain for 'im and his Missus, so 'e couldn't have been about to leave 'er like he said 'e was going to.

So this Helen bird tells Eckland where 'e can stick his extra-marital activities and then makes a beeline for the Guv. He'd got stuck into the bar as soon as we'd got there and that's all 'e cared about; wasn't really paying any attention to anything else that was going on. Anyway, she cosied up to 'im and 'e bought her a drink or two, and long story short, she ended up leaving early wi' 'im – right in front of Eckland. It was fairly obvious to everyone by that stage that she was after more than just a lift home, and the Guv was pretty up for it too."

Ray glanced up at Alex warily, not knowing how she was going to react. "He was a right mess back then; 'is wife had chucked 'im out, Sam was gone and 'e wasn't going to turn down the chance of a shag wi' a decent looking bird. His view was 'e'd take what 'e could get, and sod anyone else."

Alex sighed. "We've all been there, Ray. I know I have. So I presume that Eckland wasn't at all happy with this development."

"No. He went after them, tried to drag 'er back into the club, but the Guv wasn't having any of it and 'e put Eckland on his arse in the gutter." Ray grinned in reminiscence. "It were lovely; one punch and down 'e went. A couple of days later, The Guv went to see Helen again, and when she opened the door, she'd got this huge black eye. Turns out she'd been beaten-up really badly; whole body covered in bruises. She told 'im it was Eckland, but there was no way that she was going to press charges.

So the Guv being the man that 'e is, makes it 'is business to find out for sure if it was Eckland. I don't know who else 'e talked to, but once 'e got the truth, there was no stopping 'im. A week later, Superintendent Eckland was walking home from the pub when 'e was apparently set upon by a gang of blokes who viciously attacked 'im for no reason…….. Well, that's what 'e says happened but I know damn well it were the Guv that kicked the crap out of 'im."

"How do you know?"

"Cos I was sitting in a car across the road watching the Guv's back."

"Great," sighed Alex. "A man like that is going to all he can NOT to find Gene."

Ray nodded. "An' that's not all, Boss. You know Superintendent Mizen?"

"He's the guy that Gene's replacing at the CDS, isn't he? He's being quietly pensioned off before people start asking too many awkward questions about just how corrupt he really is."

"Yep, that's the bloke. 'im and Eckland are thick as thieves, have been ever since training college apparently. Eckland was Mizen's best man, so that's another black mark against the Guv." Ray dropped his voice even lower as though he was afraid that someone would overhear him. "The Guv's kept notes on what's been going on since he found out it was Marsh behind the drug ring and we were made aware of Eckland's operation. The Yard were happy just wait and watch him before the Guv gave them evidence that Marsh was a murderer and a drug runner, but now they want a result. He told me that Marsh could have been caught long ago if Eckland and Ayres had been more professional about things and shared some of their information wi' us. Instead, they've tried to get us to lay off Marsh, stop our surveillance ops, and they even wanted us to forget about raiding the barge the other day."

"Gene never told me about any of this."

"No 'e didn't. He thought that the more you knew about about Marsh, the more danger you were in in, so 'e kept quiet."

Alex frowned. "Maybe Eckland just thought that Gene was treading on his toes a little. After all, Marsh is supposed to be his catch not Gene's, but you know what the Guv's like when he becomes fixated on getting a result. Maybe he messed up something that Eckland and Ayres were planning?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't think so, Boss. According to the Guv, Eckland has basically been sitting back and letting Marsh do what 'e wanted for months. The Guv's theory is that 'e may have more to lose than to gain from Marsh being arrested. He couldn't prove it, but 'e kept a note of stuff, in a file. I couldn't bring it wi' me but I've hidden it in the bottom drawer of your desk. If you can get to the Station, you should take a look at it, Boss. Eckland's really not the best man for this job, judging by what the Guv's written about him."

Alex put her head in her hands. "But we're stuck with him in charge because the Yard know he's been tracking Marsh all these months..... Shit.....What are we going to do, Ray? I'm not allowed any real input because I "complicate matters" according to Ayres, and you've got to do what Eckland says. We need to find Gene and we can't do it if we're not allowed to be involved." She sighed despairingly. "The only hope is that it's fairly certain that Marsh will make another call and I'll get to talk to him. I'll just have to see if I can get anything from him, although I doubt he'll be that stupid. Eddie has planned this down to the last detail and although he's not going to waste the chance to taunt me with the fact that he's holding Gene prisoner, he's not going to give anything away either."

Ray looked over at her, his eyes full of worry. "You think the Guv's still alive then, Ma'am?"

Alex was silent for a minute before answering. "Yes I do. I have to keep thinking that, or everything falls to pieces. I can't stop hoping that he'll come back to me, or I'll have nothing left."

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Marsh's second phone call came through at three in the morning. Ray had rejoined the search for Gene, and he'd phoned Ros and asked her to stay with Alex in his place.

Alex, who'd finally collapsed with exhaustion into a fitful doze, was jerked awake by the shrill sound of the phone. She'd been dreaming of her father, sitting at his desk in his chambers, dressed for court in his wig and gown.

"You know what you have to do, Alexandra. You have to weigh up the evidence, make a decision based on the facts as they're presented to you." The dry, unemotional tone that he'd spoken with had been in direct contrast with the expression of love in his eyes "Make your decision and stick with it. Look for the truth at the heart of it all." He'd smiled at her wistfully, his face full of sadness and remorse. "Some decisions are so hard to make, Alex, but once you're sure of them, then everything becomes clear........."

He'd faded away and she'd been left standing alone in absolute darkness; No, not alone. Someone had been standing behind her, so close that she could feel the warmth of their body against hers. "I made my decision. It was easy. Your life's not real if you don't feel alive, Alex."

She'd recognised Sam's voice instantly, all too familiar to her from the tapes that he'd made. "Was it real? Or just a dream? I never worked it out. All I really knew was that I was loved, and so I made my choice." He'd moved even closer to her and she'd felt his warm fingers threading through hers, squeezing tightly. "Can you feel me, Alex?..... Trust your instincts......" The darkness had lifted and she'd found that she was standing on the roof of a tall building, leaning out over the edge, looking down at the ground far below her. "Do you feel alive, Alex?" Sam's voice had whispered urgently, as the chillingly insistent sound of the telephone broke through into her dreams. Still not properly awake, she flung herself from the sofa and stumbled into the hall, snatching up the receiver. "Gene?"

No-one spoke on the other end for a few seconds and then she could just make out the sound of someone breathing, panting harshly. "NO!"Gene's voice rang out clearly. "Marsh! Don't do this…PLEASE!" There was a scuffling sound and then a short, desperate scream, followed by a series tortured gasps. "NO! Jesus Christ!.... NO! You bastard…you fucking bastard!" Alex heard the horror in Gene's voice as the line went dead.

She dropped the receiver, her fingers shaking too much to hold on to it as she struggled to breathe, clamping a hand over her mouth to suppress the agonised wail that rose within her. Her fingers scrabbled at the door-frame for support as she collapsed against the wall, her breath heaving from her throat in ragged gasps with the shock of what she'd just heard. Everyone in the hall, even Ayres, gazed at her in horrified pity, none of them sure what to do. Ros reached out and gently took her arm, guiding her back to the sitting room sofa.

"Whisky" Alex whispered, shakily.

"What?" Ros's voice was just as wobbly, and Alex realised that the phone call had shocked her friend as well.

"Gene's whisky. Over on the sideboard. I think we both need some, don't you."

"Good idea."

"It wasn't Gene they were hurting, you know. I'm sure of it." Ros handed her one of the glasses with a shaking hand and sat down next her.

"How d'you know that, Ros? Please, don't try and make me feel better. I know what's likely to happen to him if we don't find him soon…." She fought down the terror that threatened to rise up and overwhelm her.

Ros cut across her. "I'm not trying to make you feel better, my dear. I know that nothing any of us say is going to make any difference to how you feel until you get Gene back, but I heard the call too, Alex. There were two men with Marsh. It's not Gene that's being hurt because you can hear him shouting over the other man's voice." Ros threw back her whisky in one gulp. "They need to find him quick though, don't they?" It was a statement not a question.

Alex nodded dumbly. "Yes…yes, they do. They need to get to Gene before it _is_ him in that much pain…… and they won't let me help, Ros. They won't even let me brief them on what I know about Marsh's profile. It's as though I'm not really here........like I don't exist" She stopped, unable to speak any more, not wanting to break down. She couldn't cry, _wouldn't_ let herself cry; she had to stay strong and think of a way to help Gene.

"You mentioned before that Marsh is a police officer? What on earth has happened to make him do something like this?"

Alex stared blindly at the floor, her fingers absently stroking across one of the velvet cushions on the sofa, as she tried to answer Ros's question. Finally she spoke, her voice calmly neutral as though she was discussing a purely theoretical case, trying to remove her emotions from the equation in order to see the facts in a clearer light.

"I don't know for sure, but I think that he's become the man he really is underneath all the wide-boy charm. It's my opinion that Eddie Marsh is seriously disturbed, almost to the point of being psychopathic. I've read his Army records and his police file, and all the signs are there, from way back, but no-one's ever had cause to suspect it before now. Four years ago, Marsh had a fall whilst climbing in the Peak District. He suffered head wounds but was pronounced fit to return to work after three months. Now you know as well as I do, that serious head trauma can result in drastic personality changes. What if the "darker side" of his character was safely hidden away all these years, only be brought to the fore by the fall?"

Ros poured herself another whisky as she considered the facts. "It's possible. Has he shown any evidence of violence or temper before the injury?"

Alex nodded. "His CO noted on his file that he'd always had a problem with challenges to his authority from within his peer group, and that he'd had been reprimanded on more than one occasion for using more force than was necessary with new recruits. Nothing that serious, really; some would say that he's just your typical squaddie and that's certainly how his record would have been viewed when he applied for the Met. He was also disciplined for fighting with a fellow soldier, and I subsequently discovered that the man was found dead, in suspicious circumstances, two years ago, long after Marsh had left the Army, but a year after his head injury. No-one had ever been charged in connection with his killing and the case remains open, even now."

"So why hasn't he been caught before now? I'm assuming that he's been living this double life for a number of years. If he is psychopathic, then he's managed to hide it very well." Ros frowned. "Although from what I remember of my lectures on the subject, a great many of them are highly skilled at manipulating others into seeing what they want them to see."

Alex nodded. "Exactly. That's what made him so successful when he became involved in undercover work, and because he's been so damn good at getting results, Eddie Marsh has been allowed to do as he pleased for too many years. He's hidden his real personality, behind the façade of a dedicated undercover copper, and he's got away with it because he's spent so little time in the company of his colleagues that no-one has noticed."

Alex shivered, pulling her cardigan round her tightly. "He's totally convinced that he's better than any of us, Ros. He's angry that someone has dared to stand up to him over his behaviour when he put me in a highly dangerous situation last year and on top of that, he's furious that he's been demoted; it's a huge insult to him, to be publicly humiliated in this way, and the fact that Gene's been recently promoted only makes things worse. So naturally, Gene, Tom and myself, are all targets for his revenge, which has, so far, been meticulously planned and executed. I know Marsh will contact me again, but it won't be to negotiate; this whole scenario isn't about that, as he's already achieved what he wants. We will merely be the audience for whatever he plans to do to Gene."

"And all we can do is watch and wait. This must be intolerable for you, my dear."

Alex laughed bitterly. "It is, and Marsh knows it, too. It's all part of his little game, and I have to find some way of stopping him, no matter what it takes."

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There'd been no more contact until Marsh had called her at seven am. He'd been brief and to the point. "Go to work Alex. There'll be another surprise for you there." Like the two previous calls, she'd realised immediately that it had been too short to try to get a trace on it.

With a heavy heart, she dressed quickly and forced herself to eat a single slice of toast before she left the house, accompanied by Ray, who'd returned to update her on the search, and one of DCI Ayres's team, a taciturn giant of a man, who'd been introduced simply as McGrail.

On the back seat of the Audi, Alex found Gene's black coat. She snatched it up, holding it tightly to her, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of him. Aware of someone standing by the car door, watching her, she looked up into the impassive face of McGrail.

"I'll drive." he told her, curtly. It was a statement, not a question and for some reason it pissed Alex off immensely. She started to tell him exactly what she thought of that idea, but someone else got there before her.

"No you bloody won't. No-one drive's the Guv's car, 'cept for his Missus." Ray appeared behind McGrail's shoulder, glaring belligerently at him. "You're in the back, Sunshine. In you get." He flipped the passenger seat forward and gave Alex a supportive grin as McGrail clambered furiously into the back seat.

She smiled shakily back. "Seatbelt, Ray," she warned, as she roared away from the curb at speed, closely followed by the unmarked car that had been parked outside the house all night.

As soon as she reached her desk she found the file on Eckland that Ray had told her about, quickly concealing it amongst the minutes of a meeting about CID overtime expenditure. No-one in their right mind would willingly flick through a file like that and as Eckland had ignored her since she'd arrived, she was free to sit and read Gene's notes. It was just as Ray said; Eckland was doing just enough to track Marsh, but had so far failed to get results, or to bring him in. There was nothing obviously amiss, but something wasn't right about his handling of the whole case.

Alan Eckland himself was ordinary looking; brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build. There was nothing about him at all that would have made him stand out in a crowd. He was brisk and precise, with an air of self-importance that was made far worse by DCI Ayres who hung on his every word. Alex watched him addressing his team and quickly worked out that most of them had given up thinking for themselves. Eckland was in charge and he expected total obedience at all times. She caught his eye just the once as he talked to one of his men, and even then, he didn't acknowledge her presence. She was an irrelevance to him; only tolerated at all because she was needed when Marsh phoned.

As she watched them, she was aware of being constantly on edge, waiting for the phone to ring again. As they'd done at Alex's house, recording equipment was hooked up to the phone on her desk so that they could at least replay any calls that Marsh may make. It was a forgone conclusion that he'd be too clever to let them get a trace. Realising that she wasn't going to be included in any of Eckland's discussions, Alex collected all of the Fenchurch East CID files on Eddie Marsh or his associates, and began to go through them, hoping for the mention of a location that would maybe help them in the search for Gene.


	53. Chapter 53

**So here it is – Chapter 53.**

**Thank you all for bearing with me while I get to the final show down. The build-up to it has been far longer than I originally anticipated but when I tried to cut certain bits out, it didn't work. I lost the flow of it and Alex's motivation for the decisions that she makes was harder to convey. So this is the last "introspective" chapter before it all "kicks off" as they say. ;-)**

**It's turned into a bit of a monster, so it's good job that I did split it up.**

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Alex was pouring over a map of the area, marking off the locations mentioned in the files that had been covered by the various teams of officers, as well as those yet to be searched, when, from the corner of her eye, she saw Viv approaching her desk cautiously, trying his best to avoid Alan Eckland as he did so.

"Package for you, Ma'am, but I'm not really sure you should open it. It looks really nasty."

His face was full of wary concern as he held up the clear plastic bag for her inspection. Inside was the ominously familiar padded brown envelope, one end of it dark and stained with what could only be blood.

Alex felt a deep chill run through her at the sight of it and for a split second the fear was so great that she couldn't speak.

"Who delivered it?" she asked eventually, forcing the words out, surprised at just how calm she sounded.

"We don't know. Someone threw it onto the station steps from the back of a motorbike. We got it checked out first in case it was an explosive device or something."

Eckland marched over, quivering with annoyance that something was happening without his involvement. "What are you doing in here, Sergeant? You're supposed to be manning the front desk."

"I know Sir. I'm just delivering this package to DI Drake."

"What package? I'm in charge here. Any packages should be given to me." Eckland held out his hand. "Well, come along man, what are you waiting for?" he snapped as Viv hesitated.

Alex gave Viv a very slight nod as he looked at her for guidance. With a small shrug, he gingerly placed the bag into the visiting Superintendent's hands and walked swiftly back through the double doors.

With a grimace of disgust, Eckland dropped it onto the desk where DCI Ayres was working. "Open it," he barked at Ray. Alex remained seated at her desk, staring fixedly at the map in front her, but seeing nothing. Her heart thudded wildly with terror as Ray snipped the tape that secured the envelope shut. All too well, she recalled Marsh's previous surprises and she had a very bad feeling about the contents.

"Jesus Christ!" DCI Ayres jumped back in horror as Ray tipped the contents out onto his files. "Fucking Hell, Carling!"

"For God's Sake Carling! Get it out of here!" shouted Eckland. "Take it down to the mortuary…….Now!" he bellowed, as nobody moved to obey him, all of them transfixed by whatever was on the desk.

"What is it?" asked Alex, still doing her best to remain calm and composed but knowing inwardly that she was teetering the on the very edge of falling to pieces. She felt so cold that her teeth chattered despite the warmth of the office. Nevertheless, she forced herself to stand up and take a step towards them.

Ray spun round, his eyes wide with shock. "You _really_ shouldn't see this, Boss." He moved towards her, his hands held out to ward her away from the desk. "You should leave, Ma'am, while we clear this up……please" His voice cracked slightly on the last word.

"I want to see it....Ray....I _need _to see it," she told him firmly, before she looked over his shoulder, her eyes taking in the smeared blood that covered some of DCI Ayres's files, before finally focusing on what lay in middle of them.

It was a severed hand, the flesh at the wrist ripped and torn, still clotted with blood. The fingers curled slightly into the palm and there was a deep gouge across the back of it, clearly caused by some sort of rope cutting into the flesh.

"They tied him down while they did it" Alex whispered in horror, as her stomach heaved with revulsion. She leant against Ray, closing her eyes to ward off the wave of stark terror that swept over her. "Bastards..."

"Please, Ma'am…. I told you not to look….."Ray's voice twisted with anguish. "You shouldn't have looked…..I'm so sorry, Alex"

She forced herself to look again, studying it more dispassionately now that the initial shock had passed, taking all the details rather than just reacting to the horror of it. "It's not Gene's." Alex spoke quietly, her voice emerging as a breathy rush of relief as she sat back down. "It's not Gene's hand," she repeated as Ray looked down at her helplessly.

"How do you know that for sure?" Eckland rasped, his face displaying all the irritation of his tone.

"I just know…… his fingers are longer, the knuckles far more defined. The thumb is nothing like Gene's……… He has very distinctive thumbs." Alex laughed wildly, a small part of her finding the whole conversation ridiculous, even verging on the surreal.

"You're sure?"

Alex smiled contemptuously. "Yes, of course I'm sure…... I have a memory from years ago,…..his hand holding tightly onto mine, keeping me safe…….. I still dream about it sometimes…." She tailed off, shivering violently now with the shock of what she'd seen. That must have been what was happening on the phone last night, when she'd heard Gene shouting at Marsh and the other man screaming in pain. _So who's hand was it_? Alex couldn't bring herself to answer that particular question.

Eckland stared at her in bemusement. "I think you're in shock, Drake. I suggest that you go and make us all some tea while you take a minute to calm down….

"With respect Sir, I suggest that you all make your own bloody tea." Alex replied calmly. She held up one hand, demonstrating to Eckland just how much it was shaking. "I'll only spill it everywhere, Sir and we wouldn't want that now would we," she continued sweetly, as he glared at her, unable to work out if she really was blatantly taking the piss. Before he could say anything further, Alex's phone began to ring.

She looked over at the DC who was in charge of the recording equipment for conformation that she should answer it. He nodded once, and she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Did you get my present, Alex? He made such a noise while I did it...but you knew that anyway. I shared it with you."

"What do you want, Marsh?" Alex cut across his attempt to upset her, keeping her voice icy cold.

"You. I want you to come and visit me, Alex. I think that you and I need to have a little chat, face to face. We could even have a drink, just to keep things friendly"

Alex looked over at Eckland, who shook his head fiercely. "No way" he mouthed.

"Oh come on, Eddie. You know I can't do that. You know as well as I do how these things work, and they don't involve a police officer walking into a trap."

"Very true, Alex, very true and Eckland's not letting you out to play anyway, is he? Naughty boy. I'm sure that when he's had time to think about the full implications of his situation, he may well change his mind."

How does he know that he's in charge? wondered Alex.

"How's your Super doing?" Marsh continued breezily. "Nasty accident that. Could have been far, far worse. He really should get those brakes looked at."

Understanding dawned and Alex felt the anger rise up inside of her. "You set him up, Eddie. You wanted him out of the way. Why?" _So that Eckland would mess things up._ _Marsh must know he has a grudge against Gene,_ Alex realised despairingly.

Marsh laughed. "Everyone has their little secrets. You're a clever girl, you figure it out Alex…., and when you do, you'll realise that you should really pay me a visit. Now, let's see if I can't help to change your mind somehow; focus your attention on the realities of the situation……. I've got someone here who's almost dying for a word with you…"

"_Alex_……." Gene's voice was no more than a whisper, ending in a painfully drawn breath. Alex was light-headed with the sheer relief of hearing his voice.

"Gene! Where are you? Are you OK?" She couldn't help but ask, desperate to know what was happening, but knowing full well that he wouldn't be allowed to answer her. She closed her eyes to keep back the tears that threatened to spill over, not wanting him to hear her crying. He was still alive. He sounded badly hurt but he was alive. That was something, at least. Turning her back on the sea of watching faces, Alex concentrated on nothing but him.

"I'm in your worst nightmare…don't you dare... meet....Marsh…" He broke off into a coughing gasp. "Alex, I …"

There was a movement near the phone, an agonised groan from Gene and then the line went dead. Alex put down the receiver slowly, afraid that she would collapse in front of them all if she tried to move. She hid her face in her hands, drawing deep breaths as she willed herself to stay calm.

"Too short?" she asked Ayres finally, knowing what the answer would be.

"Too short, I'm afraid." he confirmed, his expression grim. "But please try to remember that we have got a large number of officers out there searching for him….." he stopped short as the phone rang again and Alex snatched it up. "Gene?"

"'Fraid not, sweetheart. He's a bit busy trying not to pass out at the moment." Marsh sniggered and Alex felt the bile rise in her throat. She remembered Tom's description of Joseph Collins, his tortured informant. She didn't want to think about what they'd done to Gene to make him cry out like that.

"What do you really want, Marsh? All this can't really be just about having a drink with me?" she told him coldly, forcing herself to betray nothing of what she really felt as she spoke.

"I want lots of things, darlin'. World peace, an end to hunger, and all that bollocks, but right now that drink with you is top of my list."

"Why?" She needed to understand what was motivating him, why he needed to see her face to face.

"I asked you out, Alex. You turned me down and took Hunt back. Why would you want to do that? I'm far better than him. Have a drink with me, and I'll see if I can't persuade you to see sense." A cold knot of fear settled in her stomach. She understood now. She'd rejected him and in his eyes, that had to be put right. Alex knew that Marsh would keep Gene alive long enough for him to witness Alex being taken away from him by his captor.

Alex remained calm, despite the frantic beating of her heart. "Only one problem with that. I don't know where you are."

"Not my problem, Alex. That's your problem to work out."

"If I meet you, will you let Gene go?" It was worth a try and Marsh's answer would give her more clues as to his state of mind. She ignored the furious looks that Ayres and Eckland were both sending her.

"That's a stupid question, Alex. His fate is almost a forgone conclusion, I'm afraid…….you could make me change my mind, though.…what do you prefer; red or white wine? I'll get both. You can choose when you get here.....Just to add to your dilemma, there's others you might like to think about." She could hear the glee in his voice as he spoke.

"Others?........ What others?....... Marsh! Who else is there!"

"See you later, Alex."

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He rang off and she turned back to face the rest of the team, speaking with decisive urgency. "We need to find out if what he's saying about having other hostages is true. I suggest that we send someone round to DCI Fletcher's house, Sir. He's the only other person I can think of that Marsh would have a grudge against." A horrible thought stuck her. _What if the severed hand belonged to Tom? No_, she told herself; _Tom's hands were even bonier than Gene's, the fingers far thinner._

Eckland looked at Ayres, who shrugged. "We could just send a uniform patrol round to check on Fletcher's place. It wouldn't take them that long, Sir."

Alex held her breath as he considered this suggestion. "All right, but tell them to be quick about it. They've got other things to be getting on with."

She let out a huge sigh and sat back on her desk, one hand going up rub her aching neck, exhausted by the sheer agony of waiting and doing nothing. "If he has taken Tom hostage as well, then I don't see that I have any choice. I have to go and meet Marsh."

Eckland shook his head. "Absolutely not. I can't let you do that, Drake. You know I can't."

"Why not? It's me he wants." Alex knew she wasn't going to change his mind but she felt she had to try.

"I cannot in all conscience let you walk into a hostage situation on your own with no backup. Marsh knows exactly how we'll play it, and he'll check you for weapons and recording devices the minute you show up. You don't stand a chance and then I've got two, maybe even three officers being held hostage, instead of the one that we definitely know about at the moment. We're going to follow standard hostage procedure on this one and see if we can negotiate further with him. We just need to work out what he really wants from us. Then we can try and exploit his weakness."

Alex bit back a scream of frustration. Neither Eckland nor Ayres wanted to listen to her assessment of Marsh, but at that moment, she didn't care. They would get her opinion whether they liked it or not. Slamming the file she was holding back down on her desk, she stalked over to them, forcing them both to pay attention to her.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but you _will_ listen to me, and you _will_ pay attention, because this is important! Eddie Marsh doesn't have any weakness. From what I've read, it's fairly clear that he's more than likely a psychopath; a very clever, very charming one, but still psychotic. I'm surprised that he's managed to hide it for so long, and what surprises me even more is that he was allowed to continue working undercover despite all the signs being there that he wasn't the most balanced of individuals. No one picked them up, and no one questioned his methods."

Ayres and Eckland were both staring at her in shocked disbelief at the way she was daring to address them, but Alex was way past worrying about that. She carried on, her face set and determined, her tone barely on the verge of being civil.

"Somewhere along the line a decision was made to just let Marsh get on with it, and that appals me, quite frankly. Someone's judgement is way off, DCI Hunt is paying the price for that, and now you expect me just to sit here and wait patiently while you do absolutely fuck all about it!" Her voice rose in volume and intensity, despite her trying to stay calm.

Eckland traded a condescending look with Ayres, before giving her what was probably meant to be a reassuring smile but succeeded in only looking patronising. "Alex, I really do appreciate how you must feel but you must try and see things from our point of view. If the press get hold of the fact that a Met detective is a murderer and a drug dealer, this whole thing could very quickly become a publicity nightmare, at the very moment when the Met is doing it's best to present a positive image to…."

He stopped suddenly as Alex took a step closer to him, forcing him back against a desk. She was taller than he was by a good two inches and she glared down her nose at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she abandoned all pretence of respect.

"Let me stop you right there. You do _NOT_ appreciate how I feel, _Sir,_" she hissed menacingly, jabbing her finger into his chest, and making Eckland jump. "So don't try to placate me with the same kind of meaningless bollocks that you've been trotting out to your superiors for the last few months."

Ray, watching silently from the corner of the office, took huge pleasure in seeing Alex using every trick she'd ever learnt from the Guv about intimidating behaviour. She was as making a beautiful job of it too, he decided, as he watched Eckland physically shrink away from the full force of her fury.

"You can't even _BEGIN _to understand how I feel! DCI Hunt's not just my Governor; he's the man that I changed my entire bloody existence to be with and I will not let _anyone_ take that away from me! So don't you _DARE_ stand there like some pompous prick and tell me that I have to see things from your point of view! I don't a give flying fuck about public relations, or positive images of the Metropolitan bloody police! I want Gene Hunt back here now, and I want Eddie Marsh's head on a sodding spike!"

As she spoke, she moved even closer, spitting her words out viciously, teeth bared, her finger jabbing him hard in the chest once more. Ray began to move unobtrusively nearer to her. Although he'd been witness to Alex's temper before, he'd never seen her quite as out of control as this and the situation was rapidly disintegrating. Eckland remained immobile, pinned to the spot by Alex's anger, but Ray could sense that he was about to retaliate as Alex thrust her face inches from his, every syllable that she uttered dripping with vitriolic contempt.

"Tell me, what did Marsh mean about "_the full implications of your situation_", Sir? You've been watching Marsh for months and doing fuck all about it! You even tried to stop Gene breaking the drugs ring! I've read the file that Gene kept on you and it's clear that you've done your best to deliberately obstruct him at every turn! What's going on, Eckland? Just what have you got to hide? "_Everyone's got their little secrets....."_ I bet you bloody have! And Gene's knows about them as well, doesn't he? That's why you're sitting in here on your pathetic, corrupt, incompetent backside, instead of getting out there and doing your best to find the Guv!"

Alex was really shouting now, her face contorted into a feral snarl. She felt Ray pulling at her arm, dragging her back and realised that she had Eckland's shirtfront twisted up in her fist as she held him in a vice-like grip.

Eckland lunged forward, a fist swinging up towards her cheek, only for it to be grabbed forcefully by Ray as he stepped in front of her, his blue eyes blazing with rage, all too ready to assault a senior officer in defence of his Governor's Missus.

"You touch her, Sir, and I swear to god, Superintendent or not, you won't know what's bloody well hit you. I know that a bastard like you gets a kick out of beating women, but you try it wi' DI Drake and you're history," Ray snarled as he twisted Eckland's arm up behind his back, stopping him in his tracks.

Alex moved away from them, wrapping her arms around herself as she fought to reign in her anger. "It's OK, Ray….. I'm OK…… I'm sure Superintendent Eckland wouldn't dream of hitting a woman. I'm sure he's well aware that only men with deep-seated sexual inadequacies do that sort of thing."

She looked up and realised that the room had suddenly split into two sides; Ayres and his team in one corner and the remaining Fenchurch East lads grouped behind her, all clearly squaring up for a fight.

Ray let him go, and watched warily as Alan Eckland drew himself up, trying in vain to claw back some superiority while he smoothed down his crumpled shirt. "DI Drake, you would do well to remember that you are not here as a member of the investigative team on this case. If you behave towards me in that threatening manner again, I'm afraid that I'll have no choice but to remove you from the station. "

Alex laughed in contempt. "You do that. Who's Marsh going to talk to then? You remove me, and Marsh will just call me at home. It's me he wants to deal with, not you."

The phone on her desk rang one more and she grabbed it, her eyes never leaving Eckland's face. "DI Drake speaking" she snapped, her face still blazing with hatred and contempt.

"Ma'am?...please listen. I haven't got much time." Alex stopped glaring at her humiliated superior office and focused sharply on the call, her stomach twisting in panic as she registered the frightened tone of Shaz's voice.

"Shaz?..... she asked, praying that somehow she was wrong. The young WPC sounded terrified.

"Yes, Ma'am. They'll only let me speak for a moment. They've got me and DCI Fletcher. If you don't go and meet Marsh, then the men holding us have instructions to kill us both." Her voice wobbled, on the verge of tears, before she continued. "You've got until ten o'clock to think about it…. please Ma'am… he means it!" She heard Shaz shriek as someone dragged her away from the phone and Tom came on the line, his voice calm and steady, despite the circumstances. "He means what he says. Trust your instincts on this one, Lexi. It's up you. You've got until ten." There was a click and the call cut off, abruptly.

Alex couldn't even look at Eckland, her mind in turmoil as she tried to process what she'd just been told. Shaz and Tom were the "others" that Marsh had been referring to, his extra leverage to make Alex do what he wanted.

She looked over at Ray, seeing the barely contained frustration and rage on his face as he stared back at her. He wanted Marsh as much as she did and she knew that now he was also worried about Chris who was still out searching for the Guv, along with with Dave, Peter Ellis and DCI Warner. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as she forced herself to concentrate. She had to find to Marsh, despite what Eckland thought they should do.

She could hear him snapping orders, demanding a response from the officers on their way to Tom's house. She closed her eyes in order to concentrate on the thought that was nagging at her. What had Gene said in phone call? There'd been noises in the background too; Something about them had sparked a memory. Alex banged her hands on the desk in frustration as she struggled to remember before realising that she didn't have to.

"Can you play the first conversation with Marsh back to me?" she asked the young DC who was in charge of recording the telephone conversations.

"Yes Ma'am. Hang on a minute."

Alex looked over at Ray. "I need to listen carefully to the background sounds," she said, her eyes never leaving Ray's face, trying to convey her meaning to him.

He moved closer, slowly, not wanting to attract the attention of either of the senior officers. He'd got away with threatening Eckland for the minute but only because the Superintendent suddenly had two more hostages to search for.

"OK, I can do that. Here you go." The DC wound back the tape and flicked the switch to start it running from the beginning.

Alex listened to the conversation twice more, taking care to stop the tape before Gene's voice began to speak. She couldn't bear to hear it again. The words he'd spoken were crystal clear in her mind, anyway.

"Thank you." She picked up her mug. "Tea, I think," she murmured, giving Ray a quick glance. Before he could move to join her, she was collared by another officer who had just got off the telephone.

"We've got a witness at the front desk who says he saw DCI Fletcher getting into the back of a white transit van about an hour ago. He says he knows you Ma'am; his name's Luke Ellis, brother of your DC Peter Ellis. He's doing some work on Fletcher's house apparently. Says he knew something wasn't quite right as Tom left without saying where he was going and that's unusual for him, but he didn't really think anything more about it until our lot turned up asking questions. He's got a partial number plate for the van and we're checking it now."

Alex made her way out to the Station reception area, where she found Luke Ellis pacing nervously up and down. Tom had only introduced him to her properly a few weeks ago, but Alex had liked him immediately and they'd met several times since. He and Tom were clearly smitten with one another and Alex could certainly see what Tom saw in him. Luke was pure male model; all blonde hair, high cheekbones, and startlingly grey eyes. He was tall and lithe, but he also filled out a tight t-shirt in all the right places due to the everyday physical effort that his job entailed and Alex could well imagine his image, splashed across a bill-board advertising Calvin Klein aftershave or Armani underwear.

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They'd all been in a pub on Islington High Street when she'd noticed the likeness. Tom and Gene had been to football and she'd spent a pleasant afternoon in Luke's company at a photography exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. They were all having a quick drink together before Gene took her out to dinner, and Tom and Luke made their way home.

"You went for the younger version then?" she'd murmured to Tom as she'd watched Gene and Luke making their way back from the bar, both of them tall and blond, dressed almost identically in jeans and black shirts.

Tom had studied them and grinned in amazement. "Oh my God..... I've never noticed that before. Bloody hell. Luke could be his younger brother." He'd tipped his head on one side considering both men. "I think I got the better deal though. Luke's not nearly so grumpy.......and I'm pretty sure his arse is peachier too," he'd added, winking at her as she'd begun to giggle.

"What are you two cackling about." Gene had asked them, snappily. He'd been distinctly uneasy about spending time with Tom and Luke as a couple and had been tolerating it only at Alex's insistence.

"Peaches" Tom had informed him with a straight face as Alex had tried not to laugh any more. "I do like a nice ripe peach for my pudding; all round and juicy. Don't you Lexi?" he'd asked innocently, but Alex hadn't been able to answer as she'd been doubled over with hysterics.

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She closed her eyes at the memory and pushed it away, knowing that it had the power to reduce her to tears and that wasn't fair to Luke. She had to remain outwardly strong so that he would be reassured. At the sight of her, Luke's face brightened, only to fall again as he took in her drawn, exhausted appearance. "Alex! What's going on? They're saying that Tom might have been kidnapped."

Alex nodded and took his hand in hers as he stared at her uncomprehendingly. "Fuck" he breathed in disbelief. "Why?"

She shook her head, unwilling to reveal too much. "We're not sure yet. We think it's something to do with a case that Tom worked on last year."

"But it'll be all right, won't it? Gene will sort it all out, won't he? I assume that's why I'm here and not at Collier Street, because Gene's on the case....." Faced with his instant faith that Gene would come to the rescue, Alex's eyes filled with tears, despite her desperately trying to hold them back. His grip tightened in hers as he realised that there was far more to the situation than Tom going missing.

"Gene's in trouble too, isn't he? Oh Alex, I'm so sorry."

Alex scrubbed the tears away fiercely with her free hand as Eckland appeared round the corner.

"I'd like a word with Mr Ellis in interview room two," he snapped abruptly, unable to look her in eye.

When he was out of earshot, Alex whispered urgently to Luke. "I know this difficult but you know how you have to play this, Luke. You're just working on Tom's house. He's mate, but nothing more. If Eckland and the others even get a hint of anything else....."

Luke nodded, resignedly. "I know. Heaven forbid we should reveal the truth even in a situation like this. You will let me know if anything happens, won't you?"

Alex nodded. "I promise I'll try to let you know what's going on."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He gave her hand a final squeeze and followed Eckland up the corridor.

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Back in the small CID kitchen, hidden from the gaze of everyone in the main room, Alex filled the kettle, waiting until Ray could find a way to join her. She could hear Ayres talking on the radio to the uniformed officers that he'd sent over to Shaz's deserted flat, before he began briefing the remaining CID officers on the correct procedure for hostage situations.

A little while later, a clearly distraught Chris was ushered into CID by Dave, but Alex remained in the kitchen, not knowing how to face him or what to say. She heard Ayres's voice again and realised that he was talking to Chris. "We're throwing all our efforts into finding WPC Granger and DCI Fletcher. Mr Ellis has given us a couple of good leads and we're hopeful that we'll find them soon."

"What about the Guv? He's just as important. We need to find him too." Chris's loyalty made Alex's heart break.

"We've got nothing to go on, I'm afraid. We'll just have to hope that we get a break soon, otherwise, it doesn't look good."

"But you can't just stop the search for him!" Ray's furiously indignant tone rang out across the office.

"DS Carling, we have absolutely no leads as to the whereabouts of DCI Hunt. We do, however stand a good chance of rescuing two police officers, one of whom is a female, the other a highly successful, forward-thinking officer. They are both exactly the kind of representatives the Met will need if the press get hold of this story and therefore Superintendent Eckland has taken the decision to concentrate on finding them first, not DCI Hunt. The last thing we want are the newspapers accusing us of leaving a female officer in jeopardy, while we search for a man who's career to date has been scattered with a great many less than commendable incidents. I'm sure Hunt's considerable experience will stand him in some stead in dealing with Marsh until we can reach him."

Numbly Alex sat down on the kitchen chair, not wanting to believe what she'd just heard. She leaned her forehead against the cool surface of the table top, eyes closed...... "_It doesn't look good." ......_ "_concentrate on finding them first.... not DCI Hunt_."

The bleak and brutal phrases echoed, repeatedly, over and over in her head. She knew without any shadow of doubt that if they followed Eckland's orders, Gene was going to die, waiting in vain for Alex and his team to rescue him. Her fingers curled around the pendant at her neck and she clutched it tightly in her hand, feeling her life beginning to unravel before her eyes, unable to accept that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

What had her Father said to her in her dream? "_Weigh up the evidence....."_Everything was becoming clearer to her now she knew that it wasn't only Gene who was danger. How could she ever face Chris or Luke again, knowing that she hadn't done all that she could to save the people they loved. "_Some decisions are so hard to make_...."

In her mind's eye she saw herself with Shaz, a couple of weeks ago, both of them grinning as they stood in the fitting rooms of John Lewis's wedding department. Shaz had tried on a huge "Princess Di" style dress and had found that she could hardly walk in it, let alone dance the night away. "I don't think it's really me, do you?" she'd laughed. "I look like a flippin' Cindy doll." So the "Di" dress had come off, and Shaz had moved onto a racy little strapless number with a fishtail skirt.

Alex had found her dress already. She wasn't going for anything too fancy – she'd done that for her first wedding and had wanted to keep things simple this time round. As soon as she'd seen it, she'd known that it was the one for her; a sleek, fitted column of ivory silk, overlaid with delicate handmade lace, set with tiny crystals and pearls.

Shaz had beamed in delight as she'd watched Alex try it on. "Oh that's beautiful! You look stunning." She'd giggled. "The Guv's going to love you in that, he won't be able to keep his hands off you... not that he can anyway..."

She heard her Father's voice again, "_Look for the truth at the heart of it all....." _as she squeezed silver heart so hard it dug into the palm of her hand. More images came to her, sharp and clear as they flashed across her tightly closed eyelids. A bouquet of bright anemones, their delicate papery petals mixed with cream roses. Wickedly high cream silk shoes and expensive lace underwear, both wrapped in tissue paper and nestling in boxes, hidden safely away until the big day. Luigi happily finding balloons and tablcloths to match her flowers; his chef preparing a menu especially for her.

Lastly, with an unbearably painful twist of her heart, there was Gene; standing patiently as the tailor fitted him for his new suit, his hair flopping over his forehead as they debated the right colour silk for the lining. She'd known that he hadn't really cared what shade it was, but he'd made an effort to be interested, just for her, because it was the suit he would wear on their wedding day.

If Marsh got his way, there would be no wedding day. Alex would be left, alone and lost in a world where she didn't belong, in a cold and empty house that echoed with the memories of the man she'd once shared it with. It was unthinkable; she couldn't let that happen. The only person who'd ever made her feel alive in this life was Gene and without him, her existence would be nothing more than a hollow lie.

What had she told Gene?_ "You're the truth at the heart of everything."_ She remembered Sam's voice in her dream; "....._life's not real if you don't feel alive_."

She may as well step back out of the world that she'd lived in for the last two years….. and really, dying wasn't so bad, was it? After all, it would seem that she'd done it once already. There was always a slight chance that she may find Gene, and maybe even Molly, again, in whatever was beyond this existence. The pain of loss was so overpowering that she couldn't even cry now; she was beyond emotion, weighed down by the stark knowledge of the choice that she'd made.

Alex bit the insides of her cheeks hard, tasting blood, but needing the pain to bring her back to the present, forcing herself to acknowledge the harsh realities of the situation. She had to go and meet Marsh herself. There was no other course of action open to her. It would mean disobeying the orders of a senior officer, but the threat of disciplinary action was irrelevant now, compared to the danger she was willingly about to place herself in. Eckland's decision to follow standard procedure for a hostage situation was correct if you were dealing with anyone who wanted to negotiate, but she knew that Marsh didn't: he didn't need to. He'd already achieved most of what he wanted, which was to cause as much pain and suffering to both Gene and Alex as he could.

She sat up quickly as someone came into the kitchen, unwilling to let herself be seen in such a vulnerable state, heaving a sigh of relief as she realised that it was Ray.

"Did you hear what Ayres said in there, Boss?" Ray was shaking with anger.

She nodded solemnly, getting up to switch the kettle on, knowing that the noise of it would cover the sound of their voices.

"And?" Ray demanded, raising his eyebrows in an unspoken question.

"I'm going to do something about it."

"What though?" he asked, urgently, waving a hand at the clock on the wall."It's nine-fifteen now, Boss. We 'aven't got that much time."

"I know where Marsh is." Alex whispered.

"Where? You need to tell Ayres or Eckland! Get them to actually bloody do something!"

She smiled sadly. "That won't do any good. We still don't know where Shaz and Tom are. Marsh is still in control. Unless we can get to all of them at the same time, someone is going to die. I can't let that happen, Ray."

"Well, tell someone else then! Go above their heads! Ring Eckland's Chief Super!" he hissed, clenching his teeth in an effort not to shout.

"Oh come on Ray! You know as well as I do that won't work. The Met operates like a bloody Gentleman's club when you get that high up. They'll never listen to me; Eckland's doing it all by the book on this one, and we don't stand a bloody chance! Even if if we did get through to someone, you said it yourself, we haven't got that much time left."

"So what are you going to do?" He shook his head, hopelessly. "What can you do that those two useless bastards in there can't?"

"I can't tell you. Then you'd be part of this too, and I don't want that."

"You're going to meet 'im, aren't you?"

She shrugged, helplessly. "What else am I supposed to do, Ray? He has Gene, Shaz and Tom. People that I love and care about deeply will get hurt if I don't do what he wants and I can't live with that. I've dealt with men like Marsh before and you can't negotiate with them. They want it all on their terms and it usually works out that way, because they've planned it all so bloody well."

Ray looked horrified at the idea of her facing Marsh alone. "You can't just walk in there, Boss! Not on your own. He'll hurt you. You know 'e will."

The kettle clicked off and she busied herself with making them both a mug of tea, not because either of them wanted one, but because it gave her something to do. She handed one to Ray, with a distant smile. "I know, but I'd rather it was me than Shaz or Tom. They've got people waiting for them to come back safely."

"So've you, Boss..." Ray stumbled to halt as he realised that Alex had no-one but Gene.

Alex gave him a rueful smile. "What was it you told me when I first arrived here, Ray? "_You 'll soon learn that being where the Guv is, is the right place to be_". Well, you were right, and that won't ever change for me. I need to be where Gene is."


	54. Chapter 54

**Well, here we are, hurtling towards the end of it all.......so near and yet so far.....**

**This was originally one HUGE chapter (over 9,000 words) but it was just too much to take in all in one hit so I've split it up into two separate parts. The first one is short but I'm posting them both at the same time (ish) so that you don't rip your hair out in frustration and because I just couldn't be that mean to you all.**

**Thanks as always for all your reviews and comments – they are always greatly appreciated. ;-)**

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Alex waited until Eckland was on the phone before she slid open her desk drawer and quietly removed the keys to the Quattro. Tucking them into the palm of her hand, she made her way quietly across the office, before slipping unnoticed through the double doors and hurrying to the front desk where Viv was leaning on the counter, a pensive frown on his face.

"You alright Boss?" he asked her, before wincing at his tactless remark. "Stupid question. Course you're not….. Sorry Ma'am."

"Don't worry about it, Viv… Look, I'm just going to stretch my legs for a bit, get some fresh air."

"OK…." Viv frowned. "How long are you going to be gone for? There's a visitor for you up in the Super's Office; A Chief Superintendent Woodham from The Yard, no less. I'm pretty sure he's Special Branch. I was just about to phone and tell you in case it's something to do with that little incident in CID earlier. "

_Shit_, she thought. _Eckland hadn't wasn't much time in taking his revenge for her earlier outburst_. "Who knows, Viv. I may not be back for some time…." Alex shrugged non-committally at her bewildered Desk Sergeant and pushed through the front doors of the station before he had a chance to ask her any more questions. As she ran down the front steps to the Quattro she could see a figure leaning against the passenger door.

"You forgot this." Ray announced, holding up her white leather jacket. "It's cold out, Boss. You'll catch your death." His expression was carefully neutral as he threw the jacket over the car roof to her. She caught it, one-handed, as she unlocked the car.

"What do think you're doing?" she asked him sharply as he opened the passenger door and climbed into the car.

"Coming wi' you."

Alex opened her mouth to argue with him, but he beat her to it.

"I reckon we've got about two minutes left before Eckland notices you're missing and sends one of 'is goons to look for you. So, do you want to sit 'ere and fight wi' me, or drive the bloody car? Your choice, Boss."

Alex knew that what he'd said about Eckland was true, and slammed the car into gear, concentrating only on putting as much distance between them and Fenchurch East as she could. The Audi roared through the busy City streets, past the Tower and St Paul's before dropping down on to Farringdon Road via Ludgate Hill.

"Marsh is at the club, is he? The one Waltham used to own."

Alex nodded, overtaking a black cab at speed. "Yes, he is. How did you work it out?"

"I heard the sound of the metal freight lift in the background when you asked for the tape to be played back. You knew before that though, I could tell."

"It was the words Gene said to me; "_I'm in your worst nightmare_". That's practically word for word what Harry Waltham said to me when he was holding me prisoner. It would be just Marsh's style to arrange a meeting there. He thinks it will freak me out."

"And will it?" Ray looked over at her in concern, as she shrugged.

"Probably" she admitted, "but I'll be damned if I'll let Marsh know that."

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They parked the Quattro in Cheney Road, just by King's Cross Station, knowing that any passing patrols wouldn't spot it there that easily. Alex knew that Eckland wouldn't just let her disappear and she didn't want anyone to find them too soon and stop her from finding Gene or confronting Marsh. Her main reason for doing something so suicidally foolish was to try and prevent Shaz and Tom from getting hurt. She was under no illusions that Marsh would let her and Gene go, but she was prepared to take the consequences of her actions.

As they approached the row of warehouses that housed the deserted club and casino, Ray stopped her, pointing to a narrow side street. "We can get in through the other warehouse; that one on the end, then across the roof to the middle one where we found you. If we go that way, then 'opefully, they won't see us and we'll have the advantage of surprise for a bit longer."

Alex nodded briefly. Ray had been part of the operation when they'd busted Waltham and he'd obviously remembered far more about the layout of the buildings than she had. The side street was deserted and Alex kept watch as Ray prised the padlock from the nearest door with the crowbar that he'd taken from the boot of the Quattro. Gene kept it there for use in exactly this kind of situation and Alex was glad that Ray at least had had the foresight to bring it with him.

All she could think about was that the clock was ticking, taking her ever nearer to the point where she'd have no other option but to give herself up to Marsh. She pulled the splintered door closed behind her as best she could, so as not to attraction to much attention and followed Ray as he moved confidently through the maze of disused rooms to the staircase, climbing steadily until they reached the top floor. Against the far wall was a metal ladder up to the trapdoor that led them out onto the roof. It took him a while to force the padlock, but eventually, it was done and they could climb up and out into the fresh air.

Bordered on all sides by a waist-high brick parapet, the roof stretched away from them, its flat expanse broken up by dozens of glass sky lights. Ray pointed over to another trapdoor door in the middle of the roof. "I took this whole place apart after we arrested Waltham, looking for drugs and god knows what else. That trapdoor there leads to the warehouse where you were, and the one on the far side opens into Waltham's flat. That's 'ow they got you from the corridor to that room without any of us seeing you." He nudged her arm. "Look," he whispered. "That skylight's open. Maybe they're using the flat."

"Possibly. Let's check that first." They crept carefully across the roof, crouching down low so that anyone in the room wouldn't see them if they happened to look up. Reaching the edge of the skylight, they both froze at the sound of voices and laughter from the the room below. A phone rang a couple of times and a fragment of conversation drifted up to them. Alex suppressed a shudder of fear as she recognised Eddie Marsh's voice.

"...Yeh, they've docked....at the Basin... if you look, you can see the mooring from where you are..... Yeh that's right.... the cruiser..... we're just moving the stuff now...... Yeh, if you watch for when we sail...then you can get rid of them. Just make sure the bodies are recognisable......any way you like mate... just make it nasty." The phone call ended, and a door banged below them, cutting off any further sounds.

They moved stealthily backwards until they were a safe distance from the open skylight. Ray let out a deep breath. "Fuck" he whispered. "They're going to kill them anyway."

Alex's mind raced frantically, trying to make sense of what she'd just heard. "I never doubted they wouldn't. Tom and Shaz are surplus to requirements once they've made their escape, which is clearly by boat, from what they've just said.....Basin? There's basins on the river out by the docks. Could it be one them?"

Ray frowned. "Could be. There's Limehouse, Shadwell and Blackwall Basins. Limehouse was where we found Lisa's body." He ran a hand through his hair as he thought. "What did Marsh say? "_if you watch for when we sail_"... that means that they're 'olding them somewhere where they can actually see the boat leave." Ray grinned. "We've almost got them, Boss. We can give the lads somewhere definite to search now."

Alex didn't return the grin or let herself share in any of Ray's elation. "Of course, we also have to consider the fact that they know we're here and that was duff information to send off on a wild goose chase." Alex sighed. "You can never be too sure with Marsh."

"It's your call, Boss. Do I radio it in?" Ray watched her anxiously.

After a few seconds thought, Alex nodded. "Yes. Radio it in, but let them know that it could possibly be false info and if it begins to look like a wild goose chase, then they're to reconsider."

"Right, Boss. Back in minute." Ray disappeared back across the roof to the far end of the building, reducing the risk of anyone hearing him speaking on the radio. Alex waited for him, crouched against the parapet wall, her heart racing. He was back in no time, with a triumphant grin on his face. "They've traced the van that Fletcher was seen getting into; it's been spotted somewhere near Wapping High Street. That's near Shadwell Basin. They're sending some units down there now. Bartlett and Ellis are on their way up 'ere, but they won't be too obvious about it. They're going to sit tight and watch this place in case they try to move the Guv somewhere else."

Alex looked at her watch; ten minutes to ten. "I can't wait for them to get here Ray, and I certainly can't wait for them to try and find Tom and Shaz. I have to make myself known to Marsh before ten am.

"OK. Let's go and get the bastard." Ray looked at Alex's stubborn face. "Look 'ere, Boss. You might 'ave some bloody stupid idea about giving yourself up to Marsh and dying wi' the Guv, but as far as I'm concerned that's just not 'appening. No way. You and the Guv are going to be OK. I'll make sure of it. I came wi' you to get 'im back, not watch you both die."

Alex looked at him for a long time, seeing the fierce determination in his gaze, before giving him a curt nod. She wanted to hug him at that moment, but she knew that was going too far and Ray certainly wouldn't thank her for being so emotional.

Closing her eyes as she cleared her mind and concentrated only on what to do next, Alex weighed up the options before making her decision. "Right. We should search the middle warehouse first. It's semi-derelict and I can't see anyone being there when they've got the club and the flat next door, but it might be where they're holding Gene."

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There was no resistance as Ray pushed the crowbar under the trapdoor and levered it up slowly. Ray grimaced at her in horror as they both realised that it was unlocked, and they tensed, waiting for the inevitable shouts of discovery. When nothing happened, they pulled the trapdoor open wide and climbed cautiously down into the huge empty space of the disused warehouse.

Everything was still and silent with no hint that anyone had been there recently, save for a light spilling out from the small room where Waltham had attacked her, the doorframe still splintered and broken where Gene had kicked his way in to rescue her.

Alex approached with growing trepidation, knowing that there would be a reason for her being able to get into the building this way. Nothing Marsh did was ever by chance; everything was meticulously planned, right down to the last detail.

As she moved closer, she could see a foot hanging over the edge of the bed frame. It was instantly identifiable as female by the nail polish on the toenails, and if the shade of it matched the lipstick that she habitually wore, Alex was under no illusions as to whom it was laying there. She stopped in the doorway, unwilling to go any further, her skin crawling with fear as she took in the scene that Eddie Marsh had set up for her.

Carmen's body, dressed in a macabre pastiche of the hooker outfit that Alex had worn, lay sprawled across the bed, her wrists secured by handcuffs to the metal headboard, the smudged, scarlet slash of her lipstick gruesomely mirrored by the gaping wound in her throat. It was clear from the state of her body that she'd been through a similar ordeal to that of Lisa Hawkins. Alex turned away, unable to look any more, sickened by yet more evidence of Marsh's casual brutality.

"Bad?" asked Ray quietly, as he leaned over the stairwell, gun in hand, trying to see if anyone else was in the building.

Alex nodded, swallowing painfully, as she leaned against the wall to try and stop her legs from shaking. She knew what she had to do, and finding Carmen like this had just made it a million times worse. "_Just as Marsh hoped it would_" she told herself, sternly. "_If you let him get inside your head, you're lost_." Murder scenes didn't usually affect her, but this was something very different. She hadn't liked Carmen at all, but no-one, not even her worst enemy deserved to die like that.

Finishing his initial check for signs of Marsh's men, Ray leaned into the doorway and took everything in with one swift glance. "Bastard" he hissed. "Carmen was a right little bitch but that's just sick." He looked back at her, seeing the barely suppressed fear in her eyes. "You all right, Boss?" he asked carefully, walking a fine line between being concerned and trying not patronise. After nearly two years of working with her, he was just about getting the hang of it.

Alex nodded, dumbly, not trusting herself to speak. Ray made a split-second decision, realising that she need time to pull herself back together. "You wait here. I'll take a quick look round the middle floor." He disappeared down the stairs, moving with the assured confidence that he always had when he was armed. He was far more focused when things became serious and he obviously need that edge of danger to energise him. Within a couple of minutes he was back, shaking his head at her unspoken question.

"Nothing. No sign of anyone at all down there. Just this nasty mess up here. I thought that Carmen was Marsh's girlfriend. I can't believe he's gone and done something like that to her."

"I can. Eddie Marsh has no scruples what so-ever, and absolutely nothing left to lose. She was killed just so that I would find her like that. This is a game to him and that's why the trapdoor wasn't locked. He's a copper, just like us; he knows how we think and he wants us to be here." She reached up with one hand, rubbing the back of her neck, trying to ease the tight knot of tension that had settled across her shoulders. "Right now we need to work out how we get down to the ground floor without being discovered. Does the staircase go right the way down? I seem to remember that the only way back into the club was by using the lift."

Ray nodded. "That's right. Waltham had the entrance stairs bricked up on the ground floor so that none of his staff could get up here." He frowned, running through the scant options open to them. "If we use the lift, they'll hear it and know we're coming. We'll have lost the element of surprise."

Glancing at her watch, Alex heaved a huge sigh, knowing that there was now no option left for her but to openly give herself up to Marsh. She'd had some futile hope that maybe it wouldn't come to this, but now the moment of decision was actually here, she felt only a fatalistic calm about the whole thing.

"I need to go down in the lift. Marsh will be waiting for me when it reaches the ground floor. I know he will. It's what he's planned to happen all along."

"But then you're on your own, Boss! That's not right!"

"Time's running out, Ray and it's the only thing I can think of right now. At least if we split up, we've got a better chance of finding Gene."

Ray nodded resolutely. "Right then. I'll go back across the roof and see if I can get down to the casino via Waltham's flat. Hopefully, he hasn't already seen us and won't realise I'm wi' you."

Alex looked at him, her face serious. She was profoundly uncomfortable at involving Ray in something that looking increasingly likely to end with either one or both them both losing their lives. "Look, Ray, you really don't have to do this. We both know he's not going to let Gene and I walk out of here."

"Then why are you doing it? What are you going to achieve?"

"I don't know. I just want to try and save Shaz and Tom, I suppose." She smiled at him sadly. "I don't expect you to understand but, my life's nothing without Gene…..it's not real. If he dies, it makes no difference any more what happens to me, but you shouldn't be here. You can still go and wait on the roof for backup." She watched as his face took on that familiar mulish expression that meant he wasn't going to listen to a word she said and she tried a different tactic. "It's not just that it's dangerous, we're also disobeying direct orders from a senior officer and compromising his operation. You're a good copper Ray, and I don't want this on your record. "

Ray laughed. "Bollocks, Ma'am. You know damn well I'm no better or worse than the Guv. I've just toed the line more than he ever did. I don't give a toss about my record. I'm going in there wi' you."

"Ray, this is dangerous! You've got Angela to think of. I don't want you put yourself at risk for me." Alex hit below the belt, using emotional blackmail in a last ditch attempt to change his mind.

Ray snorted stubbornly. "You think I could look Angie in the face again, if I stayed up here, while you went down there by yourself? Let alone what the Guv would think of me…. I'm going wi' you; end of story. You need someone to watch your back. It's like the Guv always says. We're a team, we take care of each other; no matter what. I'm not stupid Alex. I know that this doesn't look good, but you're not going to change my mind. I couldn't live wi' myself, knowing that I didn't see this through to the end."

He weighed his gun in his hand before squinting down the barrel, checking the sights.

"Come on Boss. Where's yours? You checked the safety's off...you don't want to be messing around wi' it when you've got that bastard in your sights." He gave a her a reassuringly cheeky grin and in spite of everything, Alex felt herself smile back.

"This doesn't worry you in the slightest, does it?" she asked him, curiously.

"Nope. No point being worried. We've just got to get on wi' it." His expression grew solemn. "It's not just your world that falls apart when the Guv's not around, you know. It affects all of us. 'e might be a Super now, moving on to another department but 'e's still the glue that 'olds us all together, and we all want 'im back."

Alex reached out and laid a hand on his arm in wordless thanks, before she made her way across the vast expanse of floor to the freight lift doors. Her finger hovered over the call button for the lift. "You sure about this, Ray? Last chance to take the sensible option."

Ray walked determinedly over to join her. "Bugger the sensible option." He jammed his finger down on the button and smiled grimly. "Into the valley of Death, eh Boss?"

Alex laughed, despite her fear. "I never knew you liked poetry, Ray."

"I don't. Learnt it at school for a detention and I've never been able to forget the bloody thing."

The lift arrived, with a loud rattle and Alex hauled back the metal doors. "Well, if he didn't know we were here, he definitely does now with all this noise. If you see a chance to take Marsh out, then go for it and if it all goes tits up, than get the hell out. It's more important that Tom and Shaz are safe. Don't worry about me or Gene."

He nodded, his face stricken. "Good luck, Boss."

"Bye, Ray…it's been............ fun…" Alex squeezed his hand briefly before stepping inside. Her last view of him as she pulled the doors closed and the lift descended once more, was of him climbing determinedly back up the ladder to the roof.


	55. Chapter 55

**Well, it's just this one and the epilogue left to go.......**

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Alex waited in tense silence as the lift crawled jerkily down to the ground floor. After it had stopped with a slow, screeching judder, she slid back the doors, wincing at the enormity of the noise they made. She waited for a few minutes, but nobody came to see what was happening. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she made her way carefully through the empty stockroom to the door that led into the nightclub, her gun ready in her hand as she stepped out from behind the bar onto the deserted dance floor. It was pitch dark and seemingly empty and Alex had taken a few uncertain steps into the centre of the echoing space before there was a loud click and a spotlight caught her in its full glare. She threw an arm up to shield her eyes, but it useless; she was totally blinded by the harsh white light.

"Detective Inspector Alex Drake! How very nice to see you again! You stay right where you are, sweetheart, and I'll be down to say hello…… Don't move; you're being watched." Marsh's amplified voice boomed out across the room; he was obviously in the DJ booth. _Fucking twat,_ thought Alex, glad that still buried underneath her fear was a healthy feeling of raging contempt. She remained motionless within the circle of the spotlight, listening as the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder, stopping just short of the light.

"OK, Gibbs. Move the light over."

Alex was plunged into semi-darkness once more as the spotlight moved sideways, her eyes frantically struggling to adapt to the change in light. As they slowly adjusted, she made out the shape of Eddie Marsh standing in front of her, a delighted smile on his deceivingly handsome face, a gun levelled at her temple. Alex had a sudden, blinding flashback of Layton doing exactly the same thing, and she trembled slightly as Marsh reached out and took the gun from her hand.

"I'll take that just so you don't get any silly ideas. You worked it out then, honey. You're a clever girl, aren't you." He looked her up and down, his body language relaxed, completely in charge of the situation. It was clear that she represented no threat to him whatsoever.

"Yes I am. What do you want, Eddie?" she asked him, coldly, trying to hide the fear that gnawed at her stomach. She'd forgotten just how big he was, how much strength there was in him. She knew that she stood no chance at all if it came to a physical stand-off, despite all her self-defence training, his Army training gave him a far greater edge.

"Well, we'll have that drink first, shall we?" He slid an arm round her waist and walked her over to a table on the edge of the dance floor, the spotlight following them all the while. Two bottles of wine, one red, one white, stood in the centre of it, along with three glasses and a pair of handcuffs. She tried not to look at them, tried to push away all the images of Lisa and Carmen that flooded into her mind. Shaz and Tom, she told herself fiercely, think of them. She forced herself to recall the faces of Chris and Luke; remembering the fear and despair that she'd seen in their eyes.

Marsh pushed Alex into one of the chairs, and picked up one of the wine glasses, placing it carefully on the edge of the table.

"Just so you don't try anything, I'm going to show you what my mate Gibbs can do. He's a very good shot. Watch."

He put the wine glass down on the edge of the table and stood back, calling up to the unseen man in the shadows. "All yours, Gibbs."

There was the sound of a single shot and the glass exploded as the bullet ripped through it, showering her with glass fragments. Alex screwed her eyes shut against them, but felt her cheek sting sharply as tiny slivers of glass struck her. Marsh laughed at Alex's shocked face as she sat perfectly still, looking out into the darkness, knowing that she was a clear target. As the echoes of the shot died away, Marsh took hold of her wrists and cuffed them together, before taking the chair opposite her. "White or red?" he asked chattily. Alex made no answer, wondering if Ray was out there somewhere in the shadows, watching and waiting.

"White, I think," Marsh continued, in the same breezy, conversational tone, opening the bottle and pouring them both a drink. He clinked his glass against hers as he took the first sip and Alex had a suddenly, painful vision of Gene doing the same thing on Valentine's night in Luigi's flat. She closed her eyes, fighting the memory, willing herself to stay calm as the feeling of the cuffs on her wrists made her feel sick. _It's not real_, she told herself sternly. _None of this is real. It doesn't matter what he does to you._

"Apologies for the handcuffs, I know how much you hate them. Try not to think about them too much. I don't want you distracted, not when we've so much to catch up on, sweetheart." He leaned forward, his dark eyes shinning at the sight of her obvious discomfort. She stared back at him, seeing the madness in his gaze as he assessed her slowly. "Isn't this nice? I told you I'd have that drink with you. I don't take no for answer, Alex. You should know that." He leaned his chin on his hand and moved closer to her.

Alex gave him a bitter smile, managing not to lean back or turn her face away as she knew that would only encourage him to come closer. "I'll ask you again Eddie; what do you want, now that I'm here?"

"Depends what you're offering, Alex," he countered, reaching out and taking her chin in his hand, holding her still as he trailed the fingers of his other hand down the side of her neck, over her collar bone, until he reached the buttons of her blouse. "No that you've much to bargain with. Nothing at all, in fact. Lets face it, I can take what I want." He held her gaze as he undid the first two buttons, his fingers brushing the top of her breast. "I usually do."

Her skin crawling at the intimate contact, Alex held his gaze, her face impassive.

"Like you did with Lisa and Carmen? Tell me something, Eddie; were you always as twisted as this, or did meeting Harry Waltham open up a whole new world for you?"

He laughed, before letting her go and sitting back in his chair. "I was always on the take, if that's what you mean. Who wouldn't be? It's so bloody easy, especially in my line of expertise. Hard to stay shiny and clean when you spend your whole life surrounded by that much filth." His voice dropped lower. "I saw what Harry Waltham had and I wanted it….All of it. So I brought him down and took it all. You've no idea how easy it is, Alex. I have the dirt on everyone, coppers, criminals, they're all the same. Once you know their weakness, they're yours. Like Eckland. He's been after me for months but he can't bring me down. I know too much about him; I know all his little secrets. So he's had to make it look as though he can't find me, can't quite catch me when all the time he's been giving me tip-offs. DCI Hunt really pissed him off with all his raids and his arrests. Made him look really stupid. No wonder he's taking so long to find him…" Marsh watched her carefully, searching for any signs of defeat in her expression.

Alex twisted her wineglass round and round with the tips of her fingers, trying to assess his state of mind. Should she try and keep him in this calm, unemotional mood, or should she push him into anger and see if he made a mistake? She decided to match his laid-back manner for the moment as she needed to understand more about his motives. Not only that, she really couldn't see what else she could do. She had to sit and wait for Ray to make a move, or hope that more backup was on its way because Tom and Shaz had been found.

She leaned forward, mirroring Marsh's earlier gesture by resting her chin on her hands. He shifted back slightly and she saw with a small spark of triumph that he was discomforted by her lack of reaction. "So, how do you go from being an ordinary copper, to the kind of man who deals drugs, rapes and murders two women, and ruthlessly removes anyone else who gets in his way. I'd really like to know, purely for research purposes of course."

He shrugged carelessly as if to cover up his unease. "It's a lot easier than you think. It all starts with little steps, a bung here, a quiet word there. You overlook something minor and then the next time it's something a little bit more serious, and then before you know it, you're in too deep and you can see the attraction of the other side. Thing is, darlin', I'm cleverer than most criminals, and I'm much cleverer than most policeman, and it was fun, so much bloody fun, just to take it all." He grinned at her. "So, in answer to your first question; No, I wasn't "twisted" as you put it, at first. That came later. I get bored after a while. I need to find new ways of amusing myself " He fixed her with a dark look. "You know, I may have left you and Fletcher alone if you hadn't of brought that disciplinary hearing against me. Getting me demoted to DI; Well, I couldn't have that. I've a reputation to uphold. You had to pay…all of you."

Alex briefly considered asking him to let Tom and Shaz go now that he had both her and Gene but she dismissed the idea, knowing that it would only make things worse and give Marsh even more power over her.

"So, what shall I do with you first?" He stood up abruptly , moving around the table until he was standing behind her chair, leaning down so that his mouth was level with her ear. She forced herself not to flinch at the feeling of his breath on her skin as he spoke. "What I really should do is show you what you're missing..... I offered, Alex and you turned me down. I could understand if it was for anyone else, but Hunt? Really, you should know better, sweetheart. What do you see in him? Wouldn't you rather have me, instead? I bet I'm a much better fuck than he is."

Alex began to reply when out of the darkness a voice spoke haltingly.

"Fuck off, Marsh ……..Your dick's so tiny….. you couldn't find it …..wi' a fucking….. microscope."

There was pain evident in every slurred syllable, but the derisively acidic tone was still instantly recognisable. Alex bit her lip hard, holding back a sob; Gene was here; he was still alive. All she could do was hope that somehow they would get out of the nightmare that they found themselves in.

Marsh sighed. "Gibbs! Put the light on Hunt!"

The spotlight clicked on once more to reveal Gene, sitting on the floor on the far side of the room, his head slumped forward on his chest, arms cuffed behind him to the rail that divided the dance floor from the seating area. Even from a distance Alex could tell he was badly hurt, as she willed herself not to break down and cry, desperate to be by his side.

Marsh gave her a searching glance, looking for the reaction that he wanted. He wasn't going to get it Alex thought determinedly, standing up straighter and clenching her jaw against the tears.

"Take a good long look at him, darlin'. I have to leave very shortly, and Hunt is coming with me. That's why I need Granger and Tom Fletcher. They're my insurance. If I don't make it to where I'm meeting my friends within a certain time, they'll be killed. It's not playing fair, but that way I can be sure that no-one will stop me." He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "You'd best say goodbye. You won't get another chance."

Putting one hand between her shoulder blades, he walked her across the floor into the circle of light, the other hand holding firmly onto her cuffed hands. He stood her in front of Gene and pressed his body against hers from behind, pulling her back against him.

"You see, I've been watching you and DCI Hunt and I've come realise that the two of are inseparable. You really are made for other….._So in love_" he mimicked in a parody of a little girl's voice. "So what better way to make you suffer than to split you up. When I take him from here, you won't ever know if he's alive or dead… that's the beauty of it. You're going to spend the rest of your life just waiting to find out one way or the other. Every time you answer the phone, every time the doorbell rings, it could be the moment that your life changes. It might be him, or it might be me, coming back to take what I want from you again. You're going to live in constant fear." He pushed his mouth close to her ear, hissing the words that made Alex's world collapse.

"It's too late, Alex. DS Carling isn't coming to rescue you. Gibbs has taken care of him already. There's no backup team outside. I've won and you're about to lose everything. You'll never have an easy night's sleep again. Every time you close your eyes, he'll be there, bloodied and beaten, haunting you, and you'll know in your heart that he could still be alive somewhere, with me still indulging my nasty little hobby. A man can live a long time if you treat him well enough in between tortures."

Alex listened to Marsh, hearing the gloating laughter in his voice as he spoke. Despite her best efforts, the tears were running down her cheeks now. She knew that everything he said was true; she would spend the rest of her days waiting for Gene. There would never be anyone else.

"Look at him. Look what he's become; A broken, defeated wreak. Tell me Alex…. would you still love him if I sent him back to you years from now, maimed and ruined, a shadow of the man he used to be?"

"Yes, I would. I'll love him for ever, Marsh. There's nothing you can do him that can ever change that."

Alex answered his question honestly, her voice shaking with emotion, her eyes never leaving the sight of Gene's slumped form. His feet were bare and covered in bruises, his shirt torn and sticky with dried blood. As she watched, slowly, so slowly, he raised his head so that he could see her face. She could see just how much pain that one simple movement cost him. He gazed at her with one silver-bright eye, the other swollen shut, the whole of the right side of his face bruised and bloody. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but despite all this, he still managed to smile at her and Alex's heart broke at the sight of him.

"'Lo, Alex" he rasped, painfully. "Sorry about the curry."

She forced herself to smile softly, despite the agony that ripped through her as she gazed at the ruin of the man she loved.

"That's OK. I wasn't really hungry to be honest."

Gene let out a brief laugh, wincing in pain as he did so, the pride in her defiance showing on his face. "Wish you'd told me that sooner. It would have saved me a trip out."

"Very amusing, Hunt. Still, time and tide wait for no man. Let's finish this shall we? Carl!" Marsh's voice rose in a shout. "It's time! We're leaving here in ten minutes!" There was no answer and Marsh shouted again. "Carl!" Still getting no response, he swore viciously, feeling in his pockets for the keys to the handcuffs. He freed one of Alex's wrists and cuffed the other one to the rail next to Gene, before disappearing into the darkness, still shouting angrily for Carl Evans.

Alex fell to her knees beside Gene, her legs shaking too much to stand any more. She laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes she did so, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. This maybe the last time she ever spoke to him.

"I thought I told you to stay away, not end up here wi' me." She could hear the forced lightness of his tone as he tried to contain his emotion.

"Sorry" she whispered brokenly, trying and failing to match his mood. "I've never been the type to do as I'm told."

"Well, I hope you've got a team of bloody riot police waiting outside, ready to rush in and save us, Bolly, 'cos this isn't looking good at the moment."

She shook her head. "No. It's just me. There's no-one else now."

"Shit," he growled. "What about backup?"

"There isn't any. Ray and I came here to find you on our own." Briefly she explained to him about Shaz and Tom, and Eckland's brutal prioritising of the search for them.

"Fucking wanker! I'll rip his fucking head off when I see him." He stopped abruptly, as he realised that it was looking increasingly likely that he'd never see Alan Eckland again. "I'll come back and fucking haunt the bastard," she heard him mutter to himself.

Alex thought of Ray, wondering if he really was dead and remembering his unshakable belief that they would get out alive. Maybe even now, Dave Bartlett and Peter Ellis were outside the building waiting for Marsh to make a break for it. Maybe Shaz and Tom were safe, back with those they loved. If she wished hard enough, perhaps it would come true, she thought wildly, recalling her childhood faith in the power of wishes.

A long forgotten memory surfaced suddenly; she was lying in bed, the covers pulled over her head, eyes shut tightly as she whispered to herself. "I wish for it all to be OK. Everything is OK. I'm in my bed at home, Mummy & Daddy are downstairs and they love me." But that wish hadn't come true, no matter how hard she'd wished; she hadn't been at home, she'd been in her room at Evan's house and Mummy & Daddy hadn't ever come back. The grief that she was trying so hard to hold back, rose up in her chest, making her whole body shake.

Kneeling up, she raised her free hand to Gene's damaged face, stroking his cheek gently with the tips of her trembling fingers. "I'm so sorry." she whispered. "I thought I could save you, but I can't. Couldn't save them, can't save you…. Everyone I love dies….." Her voice cracked on the last words and the sobs spilled out as he leaned his forehead against hers. She heard the raw pain in his voice as he replied, his eyes fierce and bright with unshed tears.

"I'm not dead yet… I may look like shit, but I'm not dead. I am _not_ going to end my worthless bloody life like this! We will get out of this, Alex, I promise. You can't give up." Gene shifted uncomfortably, wrenching at the cuffs on his wrists. "_Jesus Christ_!" he roared suddenly, giving voice to all his furious anguish. "I can't even hold you!..... Don't cry..... please Alex." His voice cracked as he said her name and she dragged her hand across her eyes, sniffing hard as she scrubbed the tears away, realising that she was making things worse for him by giving into her fears.

"I thought you were dead," she hiccuped, the lump in her throat making it hard for her to speak. "When I heard all the screaming and shouting on the phone last night."

"Wasn't me. It was Lars, the Dutch copper.... we couldn't find him when we raided the barge because Marsh was already holding him here." He closed his eyes, his mouth twisting in pain. "They cut his hand off...made me watch while they did it. I couldn't stop them. That's what you heard on the phone."

Alex shivered. "Marsh sent the hand to the station." She looked around anxiously. "What happen to Lars after that?"

"They just left him lying on the floor. He dragged himself off over there somewhere. I could hear him talking to himself in Dutch for a bit and then he went quiet. I'm pretty sure he's dead."

She huddled closer to Gene, wrapping her free hand around his chest, holding him close to her. Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and let herself be comforted by the steady beat of his heart. _Please let me find him again_, she thought brokenly. _Sam found Annie again, please let me find Gene._

"Alex." Gene's painful rasp cut through her reverie. "Is it true? Is Ray really dead?"

She shrugged hopelessly. "I don't know. We split up. Marsh could be telling the truth when he said that Gibbs had found him. He came with me because he said you'd have never forgiven him if he'd let me go alone. He wanted to do the right thing and make you proud of him."

Gene was silent, clearly struggling to come to terms with the very real possibility of his friend's death. He sat with his head bowed in defeat as the grim reality of their situation took hold once more. His head snapped up again, warily as they heard booted footsteps coming towards them in the dark and a tall, rangy-looking man emerged from the shadows. He cast a hurried glance back over his shoulder before crouching down in front of them. Alex watched in bewilderment as he started to speak, only to stop as a door banged open somewhere and more footsteps were heard as Marsh arrived back, his face twisted with annoyance. The other man stepped back into the darkness, remaining hidden as Marsh unlocked the cuffs from the railing and jerked Alex to her feet, cuffing her hands in front of her again.

"Said your goodbyes? Wonderful...... Right Alex, it's deal time. What are you willing to do to save DCI Hunt? How much do you really love him?"

Marsh's voice was mocking as he stood behind her, his hands splayed out across her abdomen, moving slowly upwards until they rested just underneath her breasts. Gene watched him, his jaw clenched hard and murder in his eyes. Alex's whole frame tensed as she held herself rigid, dreading what he might do next. Marsh laughed softly, racing up to stroke her face.

"Oh don't worry. I'm not going to doing anything to you that you don't ask me too, Alex. Not yet, any way," he murmured as he pressed himself against her. "So? What you do think? Do want to chance it? You let me have you, just once and I'll let him go. What do you say? Just once is a fair deal, isn't it?….Will you lie back and think of England to save the man you love? You never know, you might enjoy it; I've certainly never had any complaints"

Alex looked down at Gene and saw him shake his head emphatically as he held her gaze. "Don't even think about it, Alex," he growled. "I'd rather die than have you do that."

She smiled at him, his silver/blue eyes burning into hers, the unshakable love she felt for him making her strong. She shrugged Marsh's hands from her body, the inevitability of what was about to happen making her almost nonchalant as she turned round to face him. "I know damn well you won't keep your promise, Marsh. It's just another way to torture us both;the sort of thing your sick little mind loves. Did you promise Lisa and Carmen you'd let them go before you raped and murdered them?"

Marsh glared back at her, furious at her refusal to give in to him. "Lisa shouted her mouth off about stuff that didn't concern her and we had to shut her up!"

"And what about Carmen? She was your girlfriend! She trusted you!"

"Carmen was a stupid, lazy bitch! Always whining on about how much she loved me, but she didn't bloody listen to what I said. I told her not to use the internal mail or someone would trace it, but she took no notice! She had to be punished! Anyway, Carl was just as much to blame. He had fun with them too, and the others. It was Carl that strangled Lisa, not me." He shrugged petulantly like a sulky child, blaming everyone else for his wrongdoing.

"And who cut Carmen's throat? You? Or Carl? Who chained her up and put her through hell before she died? Did you like it so much with Lisa that you wanted to do it again?"

Alex was yelling at him now, the fury burning away any trace of fear. She didn't care what she said any more. She knew that there was very little chance of them being rescued and she'd be damned if she was going to let Marsh go without telling him just what she thought of him. She looked him square in the face, eyeing him in disgust, her voice a deadly hiss of fury. "You're not clever, Marsh, you're sick! A sick, cowardly little man, playing sick little games to make you feel good!" she spat. "Raping and torturing women! Murdering police officers who are worth more than you'll ever be! I thank god that every single one of your former colleagues will soon know what a foul, worthless, traitorous coward you really are! I hope you rot in hell for what you've done!"

Rage sparked in Marsh's eyes, and he lashed out, catching her across the side of her cheek with his fist. She heard Gene's anguished shout as she fell heavily onto the floor, cracking the other side of her head as her cuffed hands failed to break her fall. She watched with a strange detachment as Marsh drew back his heavy, steel–capped work boot, taking aim for her ribs. He kicked her hard, the sudden red-hot pain shooting along her side.

As she lay there, trying desperately to curl herself up into a ball, Marsh was suddenly kneeling over her, pulling at her clothes. "Fucking bitch!" he shouted, grabbing her wrists. "I think you need to be taught a lesson!" He thrust his face close to hers, his eyes mad and staring. "You might have said no, but I'm going to have you any way, sweetheart! Just a quickie, before I go. Don't worry though, I'll be back for more another time."

Alex screamed, clawing at him, trying to bring her legs up high enough to kick him. She could still hear Gene yelling furiously at Marsh to leave her alone when suddenly Marsh stopped abruptly as the tall man appeared once more, stepping silently out of the shadows.

"For fuck's sake Gibbs! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack! Can't you see I'm a bit busy!"

"They can't find Carl anywhere. He was loading the stuff and now he's disappeared. There's squad cars on the street in front and Old Bill on the roof of the building opposite! We need to get out of here now!"

Marsh stood up, and Alex crawled away from him, dragging herself over to Gene.

"Right! Let's go! Everyone out now!.....Gibbs, you take Hunt. Where the fuck's Carl? If he's not here in five, he's on his own!"

Gibbs tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans, as he began un-cuffing Gene and manhandling him across the room, despite Gene's attempts to resist.

"Where d'you want him?" he asked Marsh.

"Shove him in boot of the Merc so he doesn't cause any trouble."

Marsh turned back to Alex, leaning down and pulling her up by her hair, viciously. She screamed in pain and heard Gene shouting again.

"Alex!...No!..... Alex!" Gene's roar of helpless fury held an edge of despair that felt like a knife-thrust in her heart as she watched Gibbs drag him through the doors.

"Take a good look… It's the last time you'll see him." Marsh snarled. "I'll be watching you and one day I will have the pleasure of you." He kissed her viciously on the mouth before he flung her back down to ground and even though she managed to roll as she landed, the pain as she hit the floor still made her cry out. As Marsh strode from the room, Alex wiped her mouth with her hand, spitting out the taste of him. "Bastard!" she sobbed as she struggled to her feet, stumbling across the room after him, her only concern to find Gene.

Struggling to open the heavy door with her cuffed hands, she leaned against it briefly, fighting the dizziness, her head pounding. There was no sign of anyone in the corridor and gritting her teeth at the pain in her head and in her side, Alex ran along the length of it to the open fire doors at the end. The daylight poured through them, causing her to squint in the glare as the sunlight hit her full in the face.

The scene outside was one of chaos. A black Mercedes stood in the middle of the road, it's driver's door wide open, as Dave and Peter wrestled two of Marsh's men to the ground nearby. Further down the building another set of doors burst open with a crash as Carl Evans fell backwards through them, closely followed by Ray who grabbed him by the collar and began to punch him repeatedly in the face.

Alex felt a sharp stab of relief that Ray was alive, but had no time for any further thought, as there was no sign of either Marsh or Gibbs, and more worryingly, no sign of Gene either. The urgent wail of approaching sirens filled the air, as she stood there trying to work out where they might have gone. _They must have doubled back,_ she thought wildly, turning to go back inside the club, but she'd only got a little way back up the corridor before she was grabbed around the neck from behind.

"Outside... now....move!" Marsh hissed, jabbing a gun up into the soft flesh underneath her jaw.

She realised that he must have been hiding in one of the rooms off the corridor, waiting for his chance to escape. He urged her forward and as they walked outside, Marsh shouted to attract everyone's attention.

"Nobody moves or I'll blow her face off!"

Ray froze, dropping Evans in a heap on the ground as he raised his hands. She saw Dave Bartlett, grab hold of Peter Ellis's arm as he went for his gun.

"Get in the car! You drive, and I'll take care of her!" Gibbs shouted, appearing from seemingly nowhere as Marsh dragged her into the road. He pushed her into the back seat of the car and Gibbs climbed in next her, his gun levelled at her chest. The engine roared loudly as Marsh slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, aiming straight for a group of uniformed officers who had appeared from the far corner of the warehouses.

As the car gathered speed, Gibbs suddenly lent across her and flung the door open. To her utter astonishment she thought she heard him say "Sorry Ma'am" as he pushed her from the car, before diving through the open door after her. Alex hit the pavement shoulder first, raising her cuffed hands to shield her face as she slid painfully across the gritty road before slamming hard into the brick wall of the warehouse, waves of pain flaring throughout her whole body.

As if in slow motion, she watched as Gibbs rolled upright with practised ease and began shooting at the Mercedes, firing off shot after shot. The bullets tracked their way down the side of the car and she heard herself shouting wildly in terror in case he hit the boot. The Mercedes swerved violently, smashing into the corner of a wall, and careering across the waste ground at the side of the road, rolling over and over before coming to a stop on its side. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch forever as everyone froze in shock.

Alex moved first; lurching to her feet, she began to stagger painfully towards the car, caring about nothing except getting Gene out of there. "Alex! NO!" She heard the shout but ignored it, just as she was ignoring the pain in her legs and side, all her effort focused on reaching the Mercedes.

Her legs buckled suddenly, sending her sprawling and as she struggled upright once more, without warning, the Mercedes exploded, shards of metal spiralling crazily up and outwards, the flames leaping skywards, consuming everything within the car. A piece of flying metal sliced into her temple as a white-hot shock wave of noise and heat hit her, throwing her to the ground again with its force. She struggled to breathe, her chest full of heat and dust, the blood trickling down into her eye as her mind struggled to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.

"NO!" The pain that ripped through her was visceral, as though her heart was being torn from her, and Alex drew choking, desperate breaths, screaming in agony, blinded by her tears, her throat raw with grief as the car burned. She had no idea where she was any more, as the memory of the explosion that had shattered her childhood clashed and merged with the horror of what was happening in front of her.

The flashbacks were so real she found herself searching in vain for the black-coated figure; her strong & silent rescuer, her knight in shinning armour who taken her in his arms and carried her away from all the pain. As she looked around wildly, the flashbacks faded and the reality of where she was hit her once more. Gene was gone, he couldn't rescue her and the pain would never go away this time. First her parents and now Gene; everyone she loved, dead and gone for ever.

Alex covered her face with her hands and sobbed in broken-hearted despair, kneeling on the ground where she'd fallen, the heat of the flames searing her skin. Someone was still shouting her name, but none of it was her concern any more; she tried and failed to save the man she loved and nothing else mattered now. It was all too much and she felt the world begin to spin and heave around her as her body shook and her vision blurred . Her last coherent memory was of someone holding her in their arms, calling to her urgently.

"Alex! It's OK! I've got you. Shaz and Tom are safe. Everything's OK! "

"I thought you were dead," she whispered as the darkness descended and she slipped into its welcoming embrace.

"Alex! Alex?" Realising that she could no longer hear him, Ray scooped her up into his arms, carrying her back across the waste ground to the small group of shocked CID officers and the waiting ambulance.

As he walked, a tall figure appeared from the doorway of the club and began to limp towards him with slow, painful determination.

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**I nearly left the last sentence out but I decided that I couldn't possibly be that cruel after all the other cliffhangers I'd inflicted upon you all. **


	56. Epilogue

**And they all lived......?**

**Well, read on and you'll find out. ;-)**

**This is way too long to be a proper epilogue; it's more like a whole other chapter, but 55 chapters has a ring to it and an epilogue rounds it all off nicely.**

**I always listen to music as I write – it helps me fit the mood of the story and I wrote this whilst listening to Peter Gabriel's version of "The Book of Love". It's quirky but beautiful and I felt that it was a perfect match with the end of their journey.**

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Switching off the hair dryer, Alex took her brush and flicked back the last few errant strands of hair from her face, running her fingers through the fringe that she wore these days to cover up the paper-thin scar that ran up from her right temple into her hairline. It was the only tangible reminder of her ordeal at the hands of Eddie Marsh, but Alex still had nightmares about it sometimes, waking up shaking in terror as she watched Gibbs firing at the car, screaming as it exploded in a ball of flame

She'd never seen Gibbs again. He'd seemingly disappeared into thin air and Alex had wondered if she'd imagined him for a while but Ray had put her right on that score. When she'd recovered sufficiently enough to be interviewed, she learned that Gibbs had been something to do with Special Branch, hence the visit from Chief Superintendent Woodham that Alex had managed to avoid. Woodham had come to visit her in hospital fill in some of the blanks, but Alex still had more questions than answers.

She knew that Gibbs had saved Gene by hiding him instead of putting him the boot of the car and that he'd been responsible for interrupting Marsh's attack on her. He'd also found Ray and told him that Shaz and Tom were being held prisoner at the old power station on Shadwell Basin, but Alex had never been able to find out any more than that although she and Gene both had their suspicions as to what Gibbs really was.

In the aftermath, several officers, including Eckland and Ayres, were removed from their posts and were now awaiting the outcome of disciplinary hearings against them. Whilst publicly, the Met greatly regretted that Marsh had died while attempting to avoid arrest, Alex was of the firm belief that Gibbs had been under to orders to kill him all along. He'd just had to wait until he'd got all the information he'd needed and then had taken the opportunity to make it look like an accident, although she knew that no-one in the Met would ever admit such a thing.. All she really knew was, that whatever and wherever the mysterious Mr Gibbs was, she owed him a huge debt of thanks.

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Hearing the sound of voices and laughter from outside, Alex crossed the hotel room to the window, wincing slightly at the soreness of her feet. _Serves me right for dancing all night in those heels_, she told herself with a wry smile as she knelt up on the window seat and opened one of the small lead-paned windows. Resting her elbows on the broad stone sill, she leaned from the window, feeling the warmth of the bright July morning as she looked down on the wide expanse of manicured lawn that ran from the hotel terrace down the banks of the river Thames. There'd been no expense spared at this wedding, with all the rooms in the beautiful old country house reserved for the principle guests.

As she searched for the source of the laughter, her dress that Gene had flung casually across the seat cushions the previous evening, shifted and slithered to the floor in a rush of silk. Alex smiled to herself, remembering how it had clung to her body as she'd danced with him. She recalled the warmth of his hand though the thin fabric on her back as he'd pulled her close to him for one of the last dances of the evening. The DJ had played "The Long & Winding Road" and Gene had smiled down at her, his eyes dark with emotion. "I love this song," he'd told her gruffly. "Reminds me of how far I've travelled to be wi' you." He'd dropped his eyes from hers as he'd spoken and Alex had known that he'd been awkward at admitting such a thing, even after all this time. She'd said nothing, knowing that he didn't need a reply, nestling closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder as they'd swayed slowly to the music, lost in one another.

She leaned down and retrieved the dress, laying it carefully back over the cushions next to a black tailcoat. She trailed her hand down the coat's sleeve, recalling how utterly delicious Gene had looked, a fierce scowl of concentration on his face as he'd fulfilled his duties as Best Man.

"Never thought I'd see the bloody day" he'd muttered to Alex as he'd walked back down the aisle of the church with her on his arm.

"That's what Ray said about you," she'd whispered back, "and now look at you."

He'd flashed her grin, his whole face lighting up with pride. "Look at us, you mean. Still unbreakable," he'd growled, giving her quick kiss on the cheek, before disappearing out into the churchyard to roar at scores of Ray and Angela's relatives who were all in the wrong places for the family photographs.

Ray, who had long done away with his perm and cropped his hair short, had looked unaccountably handsome in his wedding attire, even though he'd worn an expression of shell-shocked disbelief throughout the entire ceremony. After nearly four and half years of waiting, Angela had finally got Ray to make an honest woman of her and Alex wasn't entirely sure if Ray had come to terms with this fact yet.

Angela had been the perfect "storybook bride" in a fairy tale dress with a huge train and long veil. Alex and Shaz were her two Maids of Honour and the three of them had had a riotous time on Oxford Street one weekend, trying to find a dress that suited them both. As they'd all waited in the church porch for the music to begin, with Angela's father fidgeting nervously beside them, Shaz had caught Alex's eye and smiled.

"Bit different from mine and Chris's wedding, isn't it?" she'd whispered and Alex had nodded in agreement. As Shaz's father had been unemployed for a long time, she'd wanted to spare him the expense of a big white wedding, and so she'd organised it all in her own inimitable style. She'd had a traditional Catholic church service, followed by pie and mash in the pub next door, all topped off with an evening of drinking and dancing at the local nightclub.

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The laughter grew louder as the Bartlett girls rounded the corner of the hotel; Kathy was the first to appear, closely followed by Emma and Sarah, all three of them shrieking in mock-terror as they fled across the lawn, with Gene in hot pursuit, his long legs bringing him closer to them with every stride.

He'd almost caught Emma, his hands outstretched to tickle her, when a whirlwind of arms and legs exploded from behind the low yew hedge that boarded the rose beds, and the newly promoted Chief Superintendent Hunt found himself almost felled by his godson Stuart and his constant partner in crime, three year old Grace.

They flung themselves at him, yelling with laughter and Alex watched as Gene swung Grace up into his arms, her blonde hair tangling with his own. "We caught you! We caught you, Daddy!" she shouted in delight, hugging him tightly round the neck. Catching sight of Alex leaning from the window, she waved up at her. "Hello Mummy!" she called in her clear high voice, before turning her attention back to her father, wriggling in his arms as he tickled her.

"Help me catch the others, Gracie" Alex heard him say as he put her down again. Grace set off as fast as she could, looking back at Gene and laughing. "Come on, Daddy……run." Alex watched them both for a while before tearing herself away from the delightful sight of her husband laying flat on his back on the grass whilst Grace and Sarah tickled him. Breakfast was waiting for her and Alex quickly rubbed moisturising cream into her bare legs, nicely suntanned from a week in the south Devon sun, before pulling on black lace underwear and a short-sleeved chocolate linen dress that buttoned all the way up the front. She put the final touches to her make-up and straightened out the wide collar of the dress that framed her collarbones and neck, showing off the heart pendant that she still wore every day without fail, listening to the giggles of her daughter still drifting in through the open window.

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They'd conceived Grace the very first time that she and Gene had made love after the kidnapping, and the experience had been so incredible, so life affirming, that even now the memory of it made her shiver hotly with remembered desire.

Alex had been lucky, she'd managed to get through her ordeal with numerous cuts and bruises but no bones broken. Gene had fared worse than her, with fractures to his ankle, collar-bone and three ribs. They were inevitably the same ribs that had been damaged when he'd been shot, and the doctors had insisted that he stay in hospital for a while to give his twice- broken bones a chance to recover.

Once home, they'd both slept a great deal for the first few days, curled around one another in the middle of their bed, arms and legs entwined, only getting up to eat or sit in the garden for a while in the warm spring sunshine, never leaving each other's side if they could possibly help it.

Alex had been lying awake, gently stroking his chest whilst watching Gene sleep propped up comfortably on several pillows, when she'd heard him murmur one word. "Lower" he'd rasped and Alex had complied, moving her hand down to his stomach. "Lower" came the command again, and Alex's fingers had trailed down across his abdomen to find him ready for her, his cock hot and hard in her hand. He'd let out a groan of desire as she'd wrapped her fingers round him, working him gently.

"Really?.......You're sure?" she'd whispered to him as she'd eased closer, feeling his hand stroking its way along her thigh, his fingers gently slipping inside her, working their magic as always.

He'd opened one silver eye and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Just take it easy, though. I don't want you to shag me back into hospital."

She'd laughed, moving over him with slow care as she'd shifted her hips and he'd slid inside her with a low moan. She'd held herself still for a moment, hers eyes locked on his, seeing her own intense feelings of love and desire mirrored in his gaze, before beginning to move, bringing them both to orgasm as slowly and as softly as she could. He'd cried out as he reached his climax, but the pleasure had far outweighed the pain and he'd drawn her down to him, claiming her mouth with his own, making her body his again, banishing all the fear and replacing it with a deep sense of peace.

When Alex had found out she was pregnant, just days before they were married, it had seemed like the perfect wedding gift. She'd seen the joy on Gene's face when she'd told him; she'd seen the fear too, but he'd hidden it well, and Alex had hoped that he'd forget it all in the preparations for their wedding.

The lads had certainly helped in that respect, making sure that Gene was drunk enough to forget everything but his own name on his stag night. Alex had had misgivings about Ray being Best Man, imagining all sorts of horrors, but he'd been really quite restrained and the evening had only involved three pubs, one strip club and a late night-gambling club. Alex hadn't wanted to know any other details; all that mattered was that Gene had been returned to her in one piece the next morning to sleep it all off while she spent the day at a spa with Shaz and Angela. In the evening, they'd dinned at one of Alex's favourite restaurants, Rules on Maiden Lane, and Tom had joined them, as in the absence of any relatives, he was giving Alex away. He'd also been on Gene's stag night and was still feeling a little delicate, but he'd rallied to the occasion and taken them all to Madame Jojo's for champagne after their dinner.

After the ceremony, throughout which Gene's hands were shaking so much that he could hardly slip the wedding band onto Alex's finger, they'd emerged onto the steps of Finsbury Town Hall into a shower of confetti as well as the cheers and applause from the crowds of theatre goers on their way to a matinee at Saddlers Wells.

Their wedding photographs showed them both laughing, an arm around each other, Gene only leaning slightly on the ebony cane that Alex had found for him to save him from putting too much strain on his damaged ankle. She'd had asked him if he'd wanted to postpone the wedding until he was able to walk properly once more, but Gene had been adamant; their wedding was booked for the 23nd of May, and nothing was going to stop him from making her his wife

After a memorable reception at Luigi's, where Ray's speech had reduced everyone to tears of laughter, they'd returned to the peace and quiet of Noel Road, leaving for their honeymoon early the next day. They'd flown to Naples and made their way by car down the Amalfi coast to stay at a hotel owned by one of Luigi's numerous cousins. Angelo had allocated them their very own suite complete with its own private terrace, and he'd obviously been given strict instructions to wait on them hand and foot, fussing over them both for the whole of their stay.

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Grace Alice Hunt was born on a bright, frosty day in February of the following year, named, so Gene thought, after the two most influential women in his early life; his mother and his formidable aunt. Alex had been perfectly happy with his choice of names. After all, Gene wasn't to know, but her mother's middle name had also been Alice and Alex drew comfort from the feeling that she was somehow honouring her memory as well.

There was no doubt that Gene had loved Grace from the minute he'd seen her, but to this day he'd never changed a nappy and still retained a infuriating ability to sleep blissfully though any amount of night time disturbance. If she was honest with herself, Alex hadn't expected anything else; he'd been equally intractable about certain aspects of her pregnancy, refusing to attend any form of birthing classes and roundly declaring that he would drive her to the hospital when she went into labour but that was as far as his involvement went. "I'll wait outside," he'd told her firmly. "I can't be doing wi' any of that screaming and blood 'n stuff." When Alex had pointed out that she was having a caesarean, as she'd done with Molly, and so hopefully there would be no screaming, he'd remained resolutely unconvinced and true to his word, had stayed outside in the corridor throughout the whole procedure.

Giving his daughter her last bottle and putting her to bed had been a whole different story though, and Alex had soon realised that it was his favourite part of the day. He'd take himself off to Grace's room when he returned from work, sitting in the rocking chair with her in his arms, talking to her softly in his low growl as she drifted off to sleep. She'd even heard him singing to her on one or two occasions, but she was careful not to mention it to him, leaving him with his gruff and grouchy dignity still intact.

Alex was the first to admit that married life hadn't been all plain sailing. Gene's idea of having children and the actual reality of it differed hugely and he'd taken a while to adjust to his new role. There had been more than one occasion when they'd found themselves having a huge argument about something utterly inconsequential, and they'd both had to reign in their tempers and talk through their problems instead of shouting at one another. Alex was proud of the fact that they'd managed to make it work; no bags had been packed, neither of them had stormed out and Gene had only spent the night on the sofa once in four years and only then because he'd been too drunk to climb the stairs.

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After slipping her feet into strappy, brown high-heeled sandals, Alex picked up the room key, and made her way downstairs to the terrace, where she found Chris and Shaz eating breakfast with Dave and Susie, all of them laughing as they watched the children chase Gene. Alex looked around at them all, delighting at the bonds of friendship that still bound everyone together, no matter where they worked.

Ray and Chris were still at Fenchurch East with Dave and Peter while Shaz was a WDC up at Hoxton. She was doing very well indeed, and children, despite Chris's obvious broodiness, were a very long way down her list of priorities, unlike Angela whom Gene and Alex were firmly convinced would be pregnant within weeks of being married.

Alex had returned to work three days a week as a criminal profiler with the Drugs Intelligence Unit. Her job was desk based and although she worked closely with the CDS, she was never involved in anything at "street level." Part of her missed being out there; chasing criminals and making arrests, but Gene had been immovable on the subject when she'd raised the question of restarting her career. He wanted her safe behind a desk, just as he was these days. She was immensely proud of what Gene had achieved at the CDS and his new promotion had confirmed that his senior officers felt that way as well.

As she helped herself to some orange juice, Tom pulled out the chair beside hers and smiled up at the waitress who'd appeared to take their breakfast order. "Tea and toast for me, please," he told her, with a smile so dazzling that the poor girl nearly dropped her order pad. "Same for you, Lexi?"

Alex nodded. "Yes please, and can I also order a full fried breakfast for my husband." She knew that Gene wouldn't settle for just tea and toast. After Tom had gallantly retrieved her pen from under his feet, the waitress wrote down Alex's order, blushing furiously under Tom's gaze.

"You shouldn't tease." Alex reproved watching as the thoroughly disconcerted young girl disappeared back into the hotel.

"It's not my fault. I can't help it if I appear young, free and single," he replied with an exasperated look on his face. "I spent half the evening trying to fend off Angela's cousins, and one of her Aunts as well. It gets exhausting after awhile."

Tom was here on his own this weekend, as he and Luke still felt nervous about revealing their relationship to the world, but Alex knew that they were as serious as about each other as any conventional married couple. Even Gene had mellowed sufficiently over the years for Alex to be able to invite them both to diner and they were always willing to baby sit when Gene felt that a weekend away with his wife was long overdue.

As the waitress returned with their breakfast, Jack Bartlett appeared from the far corner of the hotel. At eleven he was already well on his way to becoming as tall and broad as his father was. It would seem that he also had Dave's patient nature too, as he pretended be a horse, much to the delight of the small, dark-haired girl who clung to his back, giggling with joy as he galloped over to breakfast table.

"No more, Ros. I need my breakfast," he told her, pinching the last piece of toast from his mother's plate.

"Again! Please, Jack, please!" pleaded two-year old Rosalind and Alex leaned down to speak gently but firmly to her.

"No more Ros. Jack wants his breakfast. Come and sit with me," she told her youngest daughter, pushing back her chair and patting her lap. Ros shook her head emphatically. "No, Mummy." she declared. "Want Tom," and with a cheeky grin, she danced over to sit with her favourite uncle instead. Alex sighed and hid a smile at Rosalind's charming stubbornness, wondering how it was possible to have produced such radically different children.

Whilst Grace was happy and good-natured, her blonde hair and wide hazel eyes reflecting her open and sunny personality, Rosalind was as dark and stormy as the night she'd been born. She'd inherited her father's startling silver/blue eyes along with his formidable personality and irresistible pout, all of which combined to make her a force to be reckoned with.

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It had come as a huge shock to both Gene and Alex when she'd found out she was pregnant once more, just five months after Grace had been born. Alex, in particular, had harboured grave misgivings about Gene's ability to cope with two small, demanding babies and had worried herself sick over how she was going to break the news to him. When she'd finally told him, he'd been delighted, pulling her close and telling her that everything would be OK, but Alex had seen a flicker of panic in his eyes once again and had started to worry.

She'd even broken down and cried about it when she'd been visiting Ros, unexpectedly dissolving into floods of tears whilst pouring the tea. Ros had been as supportive as ever, encouraging Alex to look at all the positives. "You've been given a gift, Alex; a second baby and a second chance. It's a blessing for you both. I'm sure that Gene will be fine about it."

Alex had shaken her head, unable to share any of Ros's optimism. "I'm just worried I'll lose him, Ros; that I'll get lost in babies and motherhood and he'll lose himself in work, or even find another woman."

"Now Alex, my dear, that's just your hormones talking. He'll do no such thing; he loves you far too much. You'll cope and I'll help in any way that I can. Gene will get used to the idea. He just needs time that's all." She'd patted Alex's hand and her smile had faded as she'd grown serious. "The most important thing to remember is that a man like Gene is essentially still a child himself in many ways. He needs to be constantly reassured of your love. He needs to know that he is still the centre of you world."

"He is!" Alex had wailed, "but how can he be with two small children? I'm exhausted already! Heaven knows what I'll be like by the time the baby's born."

Ros had thought for a while. "You need help at home. It's the only way I managed." She was silent for a moment. "Although, I'll admit it was very different. We had servants for everything in those days and the girls had a nanny each."

Alex laughed. "One nanny for the pair of them would be wonderful, but it's never going to happen. We couldn't afford it, even with Gene's pay rise, and I'm not sure I'd want that either. I'd feel as though I was missing out."

"Well, then, we'll have to think of something else, won't we." She smiled softly at Alex. "Things will work out, you'll see. It will all be OK in the end, Alex. You and Gene are my family now and I won't let anything happen to you."

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Alex had remembered her words as she and Gene had attended Rosalind's funeral service only a month or so later. Ros had been hiding that fact that she'd had cancer from them both until the very last few week s of her illness. It had been an immensely sad and difficult time, but as she'd sat in the church, listening to the vicar recalling all of the strength and courage that Ros had shown throughout her life, Alex had felt her unborn child kick inside her properly for the first time. She'd felt the soft, hesitant flutterings of life for a couple of weeks previously, but this had been a hard, insistent demand of acknowledgement. Alex had taken Gene's hand and placed it on her abdomen, seeing his eyes widen in delighted amazement as he'd felt the strength of the life contained within.

When their second daughter had been born, after an emergency caesarean that had seen Gene pacing the hospital corridors, white-faced and shaking with fear for the both of them, it had seemed only fitting that they name her after their friend and confidant, for Ros had done something incredible and had changed their lives forever.

After the funeral, Ros's solicitor had approached them both and revealed that she'd had left them her entire estate. Not only did they inherit the house in Duncan Terrace, where they now lived, with its bright, airy rooms and large garden, but there was also a small cottage on the South Devon coast, near Dartmouth. In addition to the two properties, there was also a considerable amount of money; so much in fact that Alex would have never had to return to work again had she chosen not to.

Her final bequest to them both had been Mabel the whippet, and this time Alex had been perfectly agreeable to keeping her. The girls loved Mabel, and Mabel loved them all, but her heart belonged to Gene and she would wait devotedly in the hall for him to return home from work every evening.

Ros had also written Gene a letter, detailing exactly how some of the money was to be spent, and he'd obeyed her instructions completely. As a result, Mrs Wilks, who'd used to clean and cook for Ros, now came in every morning to do the cleaning and the ironing. During Alex's pregnancy she'd even make a casserole or a pie for dinner if she felt that Alex was too tired and if she hadn't had the time, Gene would often cook instead. He'd been slow and hesitant about it at first, constantly checking with Alex to see if he was doing things correctly, and yet typically refusing to use a cookery book or follow a recipe.

Gene had been unrepentant at getting Mrs Wilks in to help out, soothing away Alex's guilt that she "_wasn't doing enough_". "It's not a sodding competition Alex," he'd told her severely. "No-one's judging you on how good a Mother you are. Stop bloody well beating yourself up about it, and just relax."

Alex had been brought up short by his words, realising that what he'd said was true. She was approaching motherhood with the same competitive mindset that had governed everything she'd ever done. He'd seen her shocked face and had moved to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the long fingers of his other hand spreading out protectively over her softly rounded abdomen. "Everything will work itself out, Alex. Ros and I figured that if all you had to do was look after Grace and concentrate on being pregnant, then you'd be OK. Ros told me that if I want you to be a wife as well as a mother, then I have to look after you. I'm trying to, but you're so stubborn, you won't bloody let me. Stop fighting me Alex and just enjoy what we have."

When Rosalind had been born, Gene had once again obeyed Ros's instructions and had made sure that Alex had time to herself to recover. He'd asked Susie Bartlett to help him find someone who would come in and look after Grace and the new baby every afternoon while he was at work, to give Alex a chance to catch up on her sleep.

Susie had worked her magic, and found them Ellen, the twenty-two year old daughter of one of Susie's innumerable relatives. She was bright, funny, devoted to both of the children and she fitted into their life perfectly. Alex could see her now, down by the river's edge with Peter Ellis. She'd come to the wedding with them so that she could look after the girls whilst Gene and Alex concentrated on their duties as Best Man and Maid of Honour, but it would seem that Ellen had found an unexpected bonus in the form of the handsome young DC. Alex saw him slip his hand into Ellen's and grinned to herself; everyone seemed to be pairing off these days.

Gene had rounded all the children up and was making his way back to the terrace, Grace skipping along by his side. He was head to toe gorgeous in jeans and light blue linen shirt, the colour of which had banished any trace of silver from his eyes, turning them a deep aquamarine instead, and Alex felt her stomach contact with lust at the sight of him. She'd been anxious during each of her pregnancies that her libido would disappear as it had done when she'd had Molly, but she'd needn't have worried; although tiredness had taken its toll when the girls had been really small, she still wanted Gene as much as she'd always done.

Rosalind caught sight of them and clambered off Tom's knee, running over the grass to meet them. "Daddy! Daddy!" Gene bent down and scooped her up into the crook of one arm. Grace reached up and took his free hand as they walked and Alex watched with the unfailing sense of joy and wonder that she always had when she saw the three of them together.

Alex had worried that Gene would find being a father to two small girls difficult and his team had teased him after Rosalind was born about trying for a boy next. Some had even commiserated with him that he had no son, as if girls were somehow a disappointment to a man like Gene.

Alex had asked him about one evening as they'd sat in the garden of Ros's old house. They'd been taking a break from decorating and all the windows had been open to let out the smell of paint and new carpets. The late August sun had brought out the scent of the roses that climbed over the old brick walls of the garden. She'd been sitting with his head pillowed in her lap and his long legs stretched out along the length of the old white wooden bench that sat in just the right place to catch the last rays of evening sunshine.

"Do you want a son?" she'd asked him gently, running her fingers through his hair, noting that not all the flecks of grey in it were caused by paint streaks.

He'd opened his eyes and glared up her. "No I do not," he'd retorted fiercely. "And don't you go getting any of that nonsense into your head that my girls aren't enough for me."

Alex had been taken aback by the ferocity of his reply and it must have shown in her face as he'd reached up to take her hand, dropping a kiss on her palm in apology.

"Sorry." He'd been silent for a while before sitting up and reaching out to pluck a rose from the wall beside them. He'd twirled it round and round in his fingers, before beginning to slowly pull the petals from it, one by one.

"I don't want a son. I was bloody petrified each time you were pregnant that it would be a boy." His voice had been low and painful, as the petals had fallen like tears onto the flagstones at his feet. "I was scared I'd make the same mistakes, that the whole sorry story would repeat itself. " He'd looked sideways at her with a slow, beautiful smile. "You and girls have made everything different and I wouldn't change any of it for the world, Alex." She studied his face, seeing the love shinning in his eyes and she'd realised that he was telling the truth, that he was truly happy with his life the way it was now.

He was still Gene; infuriating, domineering to the point of arrogance sometimes, bad-tempered, and foul-mouthed too. To Alex's enduring shame, one of Grace's first words had been "bugger". He still drank and smoked, although not nearly so much as he'd used to. He still bet on the horses, still stayed up late to play cards with the lads and he was still troubled by his demons when his black moods occasionally swept over him, but it was nothing that they couldn't deal with together.

She thought of his fierce pride in his daughters as he watched them grow, the joy on his face as they welcomed him home in the evening with shouts and squeals of excitement, and she knew that he'd finally found a sense of fulfilment both within himself and with his life.

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Gene took the seat the other side of Alex, after shifting Rosalind from his arm back onto Tom's knee. Grace climbed up to sit with Alex, wriggling herself onto her lap. Alex wrapped her arms round her, loving the feel of her warm body as she dropped a kiss on her daughters blond curls. Gene reached out a hand and stroked the back her neck gently, making Alex's skin tingle with delight "You look nice" he murmured, leaning over to kiss her neck, his fingers brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear.

"We all had quite enough of that from the pair of you last night, if you please, without carrying on at breakfast too" reproved Tom jokingly. "Honestly, do you two ever stop?" Alex giggled and Gene grinned at him cheekily.

"Oooh toast, Mummy! Can I have some please? With jam?" Grace asked as the waitress returned with their breakfast.

Ros turned round to Tom, patting his chest to get his attention. "Me too! Toast!.......Marmalade!"

"Marmalade, _please" _Alex corrected her youngest daughter, whilst buttering a slice of toast for Grace.

"Marmalade, please!" shouted Ros, gleefully. "Marmalade!...... Not jam, Tom!........ Please!"

Ever obedient to his god daughter's imperious demands, Tom put back the pot of strawberry jam and addressed her with a serious face. "Marmalade? Really? Are you sure?"

The little girl nodded solemnly as Tom glanced over at Gene for confirmation, who laughed.

"Really. It's my fault. I read her a bedtime story and she's hooked on the damn stuff now." He leaned round Alex to talk to Rosalind. "Tell Fletch why you like marmalade, Ros."

"Paddington Bear," she told Tom with a beaming smile.

"Ahh, now I understand. Well, in that case, Paddington, marmalade it is."

Gene leaned over to kiss Alex on the cheek as his fried breakfast arrived. "Thank you. I knew you wouldn't let me starve."

Grace regarded them both before turning to Tom. "Daddy is kissing Mummy again." she told him with a big grin.

"I know. He does that an awful lot doesn't he, Grace."

She nodded. "Yes, lots and lots."

Tom smiled. "They've been kissing ever since I met them, Gracie, and I don't think they'll ever stop." He leaned over to mock-whisper in her ear. "I think they're in love."

Grace regarded him seriously for a moment and then giggled. "Yes. I think so to."

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An hour later, having waved goodbye to everyone else, including her children, Alex was back in their hotel room, watching Gene as he poured them both a glass of champagne. He handed her a glass and she smiled at him quizzically.

"And we're celebrating what exactly?" she asked, taking a sip.

He shrugged. "Any thing you like. My promotion, Ray's wedding, the fact that you are still as sexy as the day I met you." His hands slid round her waist, pulling her to him. "You choose, Alex."

"OK," she teased, joining the game. "Let's celebrate the fact that the girls have gone home with Tom and Ellen and we're here, completely on our own, until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, that's a very good reason" he murmured, taking the glass from her and manoeuvring her towards the bed. "Any thing else?" he asked as he eased her gently down onto the mattress, his mouth at her throat.

"Yum….I'm wearing new underwear?" she told him with a giggle as he knelt over her.

"Another very good reason….. let me see." His hands began to undo the multitude of little buttons at the front of her dress.

Alex shivered as he worked his way down her body, peeling the dress away slowly to reveal her suntanned curves. " You're right… your underwear's fantastic and it most definitely should be celebrated." He gazed at her in wonder for a moment before running his hands lightly over her skin, making her gasp in delight.

"So, we've got the celebrating bit worked out… now, what shall we do with the rest of our day?" he asked, as his tongue traced a path from her collarbone to the curve of her breast."

"Ohhh.. I don't know," she whispered. "Windsor's nearby…. We could always go shopping."

He laughed as he removed her bra, his mouth finding her breast, his teeth tugging at one aching nipple, coaxing it to a sharp point.

"Shopping" he mused. "It's a possibility." He moved his head, transferring his attentions to her other breast, making her writhe as he sucked hard, his tongue flickering over her sensitive flesh. He stopped suddenly, looking up at her. Alex gazed back at him, seeing his pupils were huge with desire. "What else could we do, Alex? Tell me." he demanded as he bent his head again, licking and nipping at her skin as he moved lower.

"Windsor Safari Park?" she gasped as his mouth reached the soft flesh of her inner thigh. He eased his thumbs under the elastic of her lace knickers, pulling them from her.

"Absolutely not. The sodding monkeys will trash the car…. think of something else."

Alex tangled her fingers in his hair as she felt his hot breath against her. "Windsor Castle" she moaned as his mouth covered her, his tongue licking at her clit, making her urge her hips up against him, pulling him closer to her. After he'd rendered her incapable of further speech, driving her to the very brink as he licked and sucked at her, he pulled back with a grin. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that last suggestion."

Alex giggled. "Windsor Castle" she repeated, breaking off abruptly as he plunged his fingers into the hot, oily warmth between her legs. She could feel herself, slick and wet as he slid them in and out, working her gently. "Ohhhh.. Christ.. that's good," she moaned, tipping her head back, her body arching up off the mattress in response to his skilful touch, surprised to find herself spiralling out of control again quite so quickly. Her orgasm crashed over her, every nerve ending on fire, her whole body shaking.

As she lay sprawled across the bed, eyes closed and her heart racing wildly, she heard him say her name. She felt a sharp stab of lust knife through her once more and marvelled at the feelings that his voice alone could induce in her.

Alex?" he growled again. She opened her eyes to find him watching her, wolfishly. "I've got a better idea than all of your suggestions."

"Really? Tell me what it is." she teased, pushing herself up and grabbing the front of his shirt. He fell onto the bed beside her and lay still as she began to undo the buttons, pushing the material back from his shoulders, trailing kisses down his chest.

"Guess" he replied huskily, the breath hitching in his chest as her mouth reached his abdomen and her hands reached the belt of his jeans.

"A nice long walk?" she responded, tugging them off along with his boxers and deck shoes and moving up his body once more.

"Nope… ohhhh fuck, Alex…jesus.." Gene groaned as she took him in her mouth, her tongue curling round the length of him, taking him deep, her lips wrapped around his straining, swollen cock. "Guess….again….." His fingers tangled tightly in her hair. "God….. I'm gonna come in a minute if you keep doing that," he groaned and Alex stopped, crawling back up his body, trailing her tongue over his skin as she went.

"We could watch telly?" She slid herself over him, teasing him, rubbing herself against the length of him. "There's bound to be an old black and white film on BBC 2"

"Telly? No…. what I had in mind was a little more energetic than telly." Gene grabbed her round the waist and rolled her over so that he was on top, shifting his hips and easing her legs apart. She could feel his cock nudging at her slick flesh, hot and hard, ready to push into her and fill her completely.

"I give up" she breathed, pulling him down to her so that she could kiss him, taking his lower lip between her teeth and biting gently. "Tell me how we should spend our day, Gene."

"Well, I think…" he edged forward slightly, opening her up. Alex moaned in delight as she felt him slide inside her "…..that we should stay right here…" he moved his hips, pushing in deeper, inch by maddening inch. "…….and…."

Alex wrapped one long leg round his thigh, pulling him closer, arching her back as she did so. His eyes were fixed on hers, watching her face. "…….shag each other senseless until it's time to go down to dinner."

He thrust all the way into her in one fluid movement, making her cry out wordlessly at the sensation. She clung to him, raking her nails down his back as he held himself still, sheathed within her, his teeth grazing her neck.

"Good… idea…" she groaned, as he began to move in her with long, slow strokes.

"I thought you'd say that," he gasped. Alex watched him, drinking in the sight of him, knowing that she would never tire of the feeling of him inside her. "God, Alex…. you always feel so good….every….single …time" Eyes closed, his head flung back, he abandoned himself to the sensation, thrusting deeper into her, and Alex lost all sense of anything else but him.

She moved with him, as slow ripples of pleasure spread throughout her body. She urged her hips upwards, straining to get as close to him as she could, drowning in ecstasy as she felt the heat building from within. It was perfection; he was perfection, everything she ever needed, for the rest of her life."Ohhh, god…..yes, Gene….yes…now…" He changed pace, his thrusts becoming harder, more erratic. She came, her body convulsing around him, cyring his name as he gave a long low groan, shuddering as he spilled inside her, gathering her to him, his face in her neck, whispering her name over and over,.

They lay breathless, tangled together in the bed covers, the sun streaming in through the windows and bathing them both in its soft golden light.

"I love you, Alex." he murmured, resting his head on her shoulder.

"For ever?" she asked, stroking his hair.

"For ever."

"Good. I love you for ever too." she told him, finding his hand and lacing her fingers through it.

"Good" he growled in sleepy satisfaction.

"Gene?" she whispered. "We're not due back until teatime tomorrow. What shall we do tomorrow morning?"

He chuckled, pulling her closer and kissing her neck. "Good question, Alex…….guess."

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**Just to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read this fic. Thank you also to everyone who has taken the time to send me a review. It's been wonderfully encouraging and I've loved every minute of writing it. I'm sure that I'll be posting more stories, but none of them are very likely to be as long as this one. It's turned into quite an epic and thanks to everyone for sticking with the characters as they travelled the particular paths that I chose for them. **


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